How to edit a PDF on Android (for free)

Editing PDF documents on the go is helpful in so many situations. For example, if you’re at the doctor’s office and need to sign a document, you can quickly do so with an applicable PDF reader. Now, it isn’t as simple as you might think. Many office apps allow you to save changes to your PDF as long as you sign up for a subscription or log into a paid account. That begs the question: is there a way to edit PDFs on Android for free?

Can I edit PDF documents for free?

The ability to edit PDF documents using the official Adobe Acrobat Reader: Edit PDF app is actually an Acrobat Premium feature. This subscription costs $10 per month or $70 yearly. There isn’t a way around that paywall, as in-app purchases are how these kinds of programs survive. This, of course, includes Adobe.

That said, free users can make certain changes to PDF files without a paid plan. As a free user, you can add comments, highlight sections, draw on a document, add new text, and sign documents.

Paying for a subscription will grant you the ability to actually edit PDF files, in addition to letting you export, combine files, compress documents, set passwords, organize pages, crop pages, and more.

How to edit a PDF on Android from the Adobe PDF editor website

This suite of features is pretty slim with a free account, but you’ll need to make do. Adobe is pretty good at paywalling more premium features, but if all you need to do is add text or sign your PDF — which should be easy enough on a mobile device — this will suffice.

1. Open your mobile browser and go to the Adobe PDF editor website.
2. Tap the three-dot menu button.
3. Select Desktop site to view this page in desktop mode.
4. Tap the blue Select a file button.
5. Find (and open) your desired PDF file.
6. Sign into your existing Adobe account or create a new one. If you have a paid account, more features will be available.
7. Use the toolbar at the top-left to highlight, add text, draw, or manage comments in your document.
8. When finished, tap Download to save the edited PDF to your device.

How to edit a PDF from the Adobe Acrobat Reader: Edit PDF app

The more user-friendly way to edit PDFs on Android devices is to download the official app. As mentioned before, if you want to edit the existing content in your PDF, you must be an Adobe subscriber. With a free account, you can add text, sticky notes, and drawings, store and share your files, and try 20+ PDF and e-signing tools.

1. Download and launch the Adobe Acrobat Reader: Edit PDF app from the Google Play Store.
2. Sign into your existing Adobe account or create a new one.
3. Select the existing Welcome PDF file to see the tutorial. You can skip this step.
4. Tap the blue + button.
5. Select Open file.
6. Find and open the PDF you want to edit which is usually located within On this device section.
7. Use the toolbar at the bottom to edit your document. You can comment, highlight, draw, add text, and fill or sign in your file. However, the More tools option (which allows you to edit images and text on the PDF and organize pages) has blue stars next to the features within it. This means that they are paid features.
8. When you’re done editing your file, tap the three vertical dots menu button at the top right corner of the screen.
9. Select Save a copy.
10. Type in the new document name in the prompted box.
11. Tap Done. This will automatically save the new file in the same location as the old one.

How to edit a PDF on Android without a paid Adobe subscription

Fortunately, you can edit a PDF file without a paid Adobe subscription, but it will require you to get a little bit crafty. There’s also no surefire way to tell if your text or images will be compatible with this method, but it’s worth a shot.

In your mobile browser, go to a PDF to Word conversion site. We recommend the ilovepdf.com website, as we have tried it and found it to be easy and reliable. We will base these instructions using said website, but the steps should be very similar with other alternatives.

1. Launch your browser; we will use Chrome. Go to ilovepdf.com. Make sure you are in the PDF to Word tool.
2. Click on Select PDF file. Upload your PDF file and convert it into a Word file.
3. Hit Convert to WORD.
4. Select Download WORD.
5. Open that Word file in the Microsoft Word mobile app on your device.
6. Hit Edit and customize the text and images from the file.
7. Tap on the checkmark button when done.
8. Tap the three-dot menu button at the top right corner.
9. Select Save as to save your new document file.

If you don’t have the Microsoft Word app on your phone, you can open it in Google Docs.

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