# Edit a PDF

Change the text of a PDF, add text, images, shapes, highlights or comments, crop pages and search in the Drime PDF editor, then save over the file or as a copy.

Updated: 2026-10-19  
Source: https://drime.cloud/support/pdf-editor/edit-a-pdf

The Drime PDF editor lets you change a PDF directly in your browser: edit its text, add your own text, images and shapes, highlight passages, leave comments and crop pages. Everything runs in your browser.

## Open the PDF in the editor

1. Double-click the PDF in your Drive.

   It opens in the file viewer, not in the editor.

2. In the viewer toolbar, click **Edit**, then **Edit in Drime**.

You can also:

- click **Mark up** in the viewer, then **Add text**, **Highlight** or **Draw**: the editor opens with that tool ready;
- click **Edit PDF** in the row of actions above the file list, select the file in **Choose a PDF to edit**, then click **Choose**.

The viewer's **Sign** button does not open the editor: it starts a Drime Sign request and opens the signing steps. To sign the PDF yourself, see [Fill in and sign a PDF](https://drime.cloud/support/pdf-editor/fill-and-sign-a-pdf).

## The editor at a glance

![The Drime PDF editor with its header, toolbar and pages column above a demo contract](https://drime.cloud/media/01M5A9TEEAJWGWE6Q70DBQY530/40298e90458e-web-pdf-editor-toolbar.png)

- The header shows the file name (click it to rename the file), the number of pages, and **Saving…** or **Unsaved changes** while you work. **Cancel** and **Save** are on the right.
- The toolbar gives the tools below. On a narrow window, the tools that do not fit go under **More tools**.
- The pages column, on the left, shows every page. To move, rotate, delete or add pages, see [Rotate, reorder, add or delete PDF pages](https://drime.cloud/support/pdf-editor/manage-pdf-pages).
- The bottom bar sets the zoom and the display (see [Change the view](#view)).

## Edit and annotate

| Tool | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Selection** and **Pan** | Select what you added, or move around the page. |
| **Edit text** | Changes the text already in the PDF. |
| **Add text** | Adds your own text anywhere on the page. |
| **Insert image** | Adds an image. |
| **Shape** | Draws a shape. |
| **Draw** and **Eraser** | Freehand drawing, and erasing what you drew. |
| **Highlight** | Highlights a passage. |
| **Comment** | Leaves a comment on the page. |
| **Stamp** | Adds a stamp. |
| **Table** | Adds a table. |
| **Crop** | Crops the pages (see [Crop pages](#crop)). |
| **Forms** and **Sign** | Fill in or create form fields, and sign: see [Fill in and sign a PDF](https://drime.cloud/support/pdf-editor/fill-and-sign-a-pdf). |
| **Pages** and **Export** | Split, merge, number the pages, convert, compress or protect the PDF: see [Merge, split, compress, convert or protect a PDF](https://drime.cloud/support/pdf-editor/merge-split-compress-convert). |

### Change the font of a text

When you edit or add text, a font panel opens on the side. Search for a font, filter the list by style (**All**, **Sans serif**, **Serif**, **Display**, **Handwriting**, **Monospace**), or pick one in **Document fonts** or among the standard fonts. Change the size with the **−** and **+** buttons around it.

![The font panel of the PDF editor with the font search and its font lists](https://drime.cloud/media/01M5BAYK9SYWT183DBYDQZ7M5W/15aec7dbe002-web-pdf-editor-font-panel.png)

## Crop pages

1. Click **Crop**, then draw a box over the part of the page to keep.

2. Adjust the box with its 8 handles.

   ![A page of the PDF editor with the crop box and its handles](https://drime.cloud/media/01M5BA02RGR40E2EXS94V6XCXA/7af15ecad1e9-web-pdf-editor-crop.png)

3. Click **Apply crop** to crop the current page.

   To crop every page the same way, open **Crop options**, then **Apply this crop to every page**.

Cropping hides the parts outside the box without deleting them: you can crop again later.

## Comments

The comments panel lists the comments of the PDF. Filter them with **All**, **Unresolved** or **Resolved**.

## Search and replace

Click **Search in document** to find a word in the PDF. You can also replace it: **Replace** changes the current match, **Replace all** changes every match.

## Change the view

The bottom bar changes how you see the PDF, not the file itself:

- the zoom, from 25% to 400%, with **Fit to width** and **Fit to page**;
- **Display mode**: **Single page**, **Two pages**, **Cover view** or **Continuous scrolling**;
- **View theme**: **Normal**, **Dark** or **Sepia**;
- **Full screen**, and **Hide page controls**.

## Work on a PDF with others

People who can open the file can edit it at the same time as you: you see who is there. Nothing anyone does reaches the file until someone saves, and nothing is saved automatically.

## Save your changes

**Save** stays greyed out until you make a change. While you work, the header shows **Unsaved changes**. Click **Save**, or press `Ctrl` + `S`, to replace the PDF: **PDF saved** confirms it, and the editor stays open. The previous content is kept as a version of the file, unless you turned file versioning off: a file keeps up to 10 versions. See [Restore a previous version of a file](https://drime.cloud/support/drive/restore-a-previous-version).

To keep the original untouched, click the arrow next to **Save**, then **Save as a copy**, and choose the folder of the new file. The same menu also offers **Save (overwrite)**.

![The Save menu of the PDF editor with Save (overwrite) and Save as a copy](https://drime.cloud/media/01M5AQBEW3TMT6K6XJS6J6KBDN/ec709c635350-web-pdf-editor-save-menu.png)

Click **Cancel** to leave without saving: if you made changes, Drime asks you to confirm.

> **Warning**
>
> If you leave the editor with unsaved changes, Drime asks **Discard unsaved changes?**: **You have unsaved edits on this PDF. If you leave now, they will be lost.** Click **Discard** to leave without saving, or close the dialog and save first.

## If it doesn't work

| What you see | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| **This PDF is password protected** | Enter the PDF's password in **Document password**, then click **Unlock**. |
| **Incorrect password, try again.** | Check the password of the PDF and type it again. |
| **This PDF is digitally signed** | Saving would break its signature: **Saving changes will invalidate the existing digital signature. To keep the signed original intact, use 'Save a copy' instead.** Choose **Save as a copy**, or **Save anyway** if you accept it. |
| **This document only allows filling existing fields. Form design tools are locked.** | The PDF's author only allows filling in its fields: you can fill them, not add new ones. |
| **You do not have permission to edit this file.** | You can only view this PDF: it opens in the preview. Ask its owner for edit access. |
| **Backup files are read-only.** | A file from a backup cannot be edited: it opens in the read-only preview. |
| **Could not save PDF** | The PDF was not saved. Check your connection and save again; your edits stay open in the editor. |
| **Save** stays greyed out | You have not changed anything yet. |

When the save works, **PDF saved** (or **Copy saved**) confirms it.

## Next steps

- [Fill in and sign a PDF](https://drime.cloud/support/pdf-editor/fill-and-sign-a-pdf)
- [Rotate, reorder, add or delete PDF pages](https://drime.cloud/support/pdf-editor/manage-pdf-pages)
- [Merge, split, compress, convert or protect a PDF](https://drime.cloud/support/pdf-editor/merge-split-compress-convert)