Free PDF Editorfor Windows

Free PDF Editor is WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) software that lets you edit PDF files. You can insert text, images, shapes, and change document properties with this program. It’s straightforward to use and doesn’t cost anything.

PDF editors

PDF (Portable Document Format) is one of the most common file types around, due to its versatility; you can convert most files (from Word documents to images) into a PDF to reduce the size but retain quality.

Plenty of well-known PDF editors exist, such as Adobe Acrobat, PDFescape, and SmallPDF, with many other programs including the option to save files as a PDF. However, Free PDF Editor is a standalone piece of freeware that lets you create a PDF from scratch.

WYSIWYG

The Free PDF Editor interface won’t win any beauty contests, but it doesn’t need to. It’s laid out in a straightforward way that’ll feel immediately familiar, with a single toolbar filled with save, text, shape, and file options. 

You can change document settings like page size, the number of pages, and page mode (e.g., use thumbs, use outlines, full screen). The shape tool is limited, but lets you add colored squares and ellipses to your PDF.

Create your own PDF

Free PDf Editor most clearly resembles stripped-down writing software, with its central blank sheet. Unfortunately, only three fonts are available (Arial, Fixed Width, and Times New Roman). Although text can be left, right, or center-aligned, there’s no justification option. Fonts can be typed in regular, bold, or italic, but advanced settings like subscript or indentation aren’t possible. 

It’s also really tricky to edit text or images once you’ve placed them. The mouse cursor doubles as a text/image/shape placement tool, so, by default, if you click on something, you’ll move it around rather than enter an ‘edit’ mode.

Our take

Free PDF Editor’s simplicity means it’s easy to get to the hang of, but it’s also its downfall. It’s not advanced enough to serve as a legitimate alternative to other free software that lets you save and edit PDF files.

Should you download it?

No. It’s user-friendly, but ultimately too rudimentary to work as a serious PDF editor.