How to Add Text to PDF Effortlessly: Top 3 Methods

Have you ever wondered how to add text to a PDF but didn't know how to go about it? Most PDF readers will have an annotation tool that you can use to add a text box or a comment. However, a true PDF editor will also allow you to append the existing text in a PDF, which is actually even more useful.

Moreover, a good PDF editor will have automatic font detection so, for example, if you're adding words to title text in PDF or adding a sentence to a paragraph, you don't need to worry about font-matching. Read on to find out 3 effortless methods to insert text in PDFs.

Method 1. How to Insert Text in PDF with UPDF

As a new product on the market, UPDF is already making waves as the best PDF editor. With it, you can control your PDF documents by adding and modifying content such as text blocks, images, links, objects, backgrounds, watermarks, etc. Download UPDF now and then let's look at how this amazing PDF editor answers the question "how to insert text in PDF" in a couple of different ways.

(1) Add Text to the PDF Body Layer

A PDF document has different layers and if you want to insert text into the body layer, follow the instructions described below:

Step 1. Enter into the Editing Mode

Launch UPDF and open a PDF file by clicking the "Open File" button. Click the "Edit PDF" icon at the left to go into the text-editing mode. In this mode, you can easily insert text in PDF, edit the text in PDF, and change the style of the text.

Step 2. Add Text to PDF

Click the "Text" option on the top toolbar. Then click where you want your new text to be added and then paste the content or type it in. When you insert text in PDF, you can change the font, font size, alignment, color, and other styles of the text.

Additional Tip: Once you have clicked the "Text" button in the "Edit PDF" mode, you can continuously add text by clicking anywhere on your document. However, if you want to turn off this feature, simply double-click the "Text" icon again. By doing so, you will be able to edit the already-added text box.

(2) Add Text to the PDF Comment Layer

The second way to add text or insert text in PDF files is to use the comment tool. This method allows you to add a text box to a PDF as a comment.

Step 1. Click the "Comment" Menu

Click the "Comment" menu from the left toolbar to enter the annotation mode.

Step 2. Add Text to PDF as a Comment

Click either of the "T" icons - you can add plain text (typewriter) or text box to PDF documents. Go to where you want the text to appear and click the PDF file there. You can add your text inside the box by typing it or copy-pasting text from an external source.

Both these methods can be used to add text to a PDF file on Mac and Windows. All features are unlocked from the time you download and install UPDF on your PC, Mac, iOS, and Android device, and the adding text to PDF feature is supported by all 4 platforms. Try it now.

(3) Add Rich Text to PDF (For Mac Only)

What is Rich Text?

The rich text means that the text has a style. For example, there is a link inserted in the text, there is a color on the text, etc. This feature is a pro of UPDF for Mac, and other PDF editors like Acrobat don't have this feature.

Steps to Add Rich Text to PDF by Dragging-and-Dropping

The drag-and-drop feature of UPDF is very convenient when you want to create or edit a PDF file. You can open your browser or other applications, select the text you want, and then drag it into UPDF. The text will be inserted into your PDF document automatically.

Step 1. Open your PDF file in UPDF. Click the "Edit PDF" icon on the left toolbar to enter the editing mode.
Step 2. Open the applications where you want to insert the text.
Step 3. Select the text.
Step 4. Drag it into the PDF document.
Step 5. Now you can edit the text easily. You can add or remove text, and change the font, font size, or other styles.

More Features of UPDF

Here's a quick view of the other main features of this versatile PDF editor for Windows and Mac computers.

Read and View PDF Files: Open any PDF file for viewing and reading. UPDF comes with modern PDF reading tools, multiple layout options, and various other features that transform reading a PDF file into a pleasurable reading experience - just like reading a hard copy of a book.
Organize PDFs: Manipulate the pages of a PDF any way you want with tools to crop, insert, remove, replace, split and rearrange PDF pages.
Print PDF Like a Pro: The virtual printer gives you full control over your printing jobs by making them highly customizable and flexible.
OCR Conversion: Accurately convert scanned PDF files and text-based PDF images to make them editable.
PDF Security: Protect confidential information with enterprise-grade password security and permission restrictions.
PDF Conversion: Convert PDF to other formats such as MS Office documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, web formats like HTML, and several other file types.
PDF Signing: Create and add handwritten signatures to PDF files.
UPDF AI: UPDF is an AI-integrated PDF editor that can simplify and explain complex data and deliver a summarized version of information within 30 seconds. You can also create exceptional articles with the write PDF feature that includes checking for grammatical errors and polishing content. Furthermore, the translate feature can instantly convert your PDF into any language.

WOW! So many advanced features in a PDF editor - what's not to love? That being said, it's not just the rich array of tools that are getting new users so excited: UPDF has a very modern and user-friendly interface, great processing speed, and won't hog up system resources like most other premium PDF editors on the market. That makes it both fun and efficient - a tough combination to beat. Get it now from the button below.

Method 2. How to Add Text to PDF with Adobe Acrobat

Do you want to elaborate on your PDF files by adding a piece of information? Then, you should consider adding text to your PDF using Adobe Acrobat, which is also a reliable PDF editing tool. This tool makes updating and customizing PDFs easy by utilizing its various "Add Text" editing features. Therefore, the following steps will guide you on how to add text to your PDF files using Adobe Acrobat.

Step 1. After launching the Adobe Acrobat software, upload the desired PDF document to add text to your file. After that, click on "Edit PDF" from the right-side panel to access various editing tools.

Step 2. After accessing the edit option, click on the "Add Text" on the top custom bar to add text. You can click anywhere on the PDF document to add notes, information, and additional content.

Step 3. Now, write the content in the text box that you have just currently added to the PDF. Furthermore, customize it by altering the text format by changing the color, font, alignment, and many more.

Disadvantages of Using Adobe Acrobat to Add Text to PDF

The full version of Adobe Acrobat is very expensive compared to other editing software. Adobe subscription plans are quite expensive if you need to access all its tools.
Another disadvantage of Adobe is that it takes up a large amount of RAM, which slows down the whole process of creating and editing PDFs. Moreover, it does not work well on iOS devices and lags a lot.
Adobe Acrobat layout can be very confusing for beginners to find the necessary tools to edit their PDF documents. Therefore, this tool should have an updated layout or interface to increase its usability.

Method 3. How to Add Text to PDF Online with iLovePDF

You can get all editing tools that are required to customize your PDF all in one place by utilizing iLovePDF Online. Additionally, these online editing tools can help you add text anywhere on the PDF file, making your document more concise and informational. In this section, let's look at the steps on how to add text to your PDF file and explore the additional editing features of iLovePDF.

Step 1. Open iLovePDF online on any of your browsers, and after that, hover your mouse over the "All PDF Tools" tab. On this newly appeared dropdown menu, click the "Edit PDF" option under the "Edit PDF" section to access the editing window.

Step 2. After the window opens, click on the "Select PDF file" to upload your document on the website. Now, a new "Open Dialog Box" window will appear on your screen. You can choose your desired file by selecting it from a folder and then clicking on the "Open" button. Moreover, you can also drop and select your PDF from Dropbox and Google Drive as well.

Step 3. When you are done uploading your PDF file, the main editing window will appear. From here, you need to hit the "Add Text" icon on the top custom toolbar. Afterward, write the desired notes or information in the text box. Furthermore, the text can also be customized by changing the size, color, and opacity.

Disadvantages of Using iLovepdf to Insert Text to PDF

A disadvantage of iLovePDF is that you must pay for this feature if you want to upload a larger file that exceeds the limit.
This tool does not properly secure your PDF file contents and may cause security breaches in your sensitive document information.
The free version of iLovePDF has a few editing features and is slower compared to the offline tools or the paid version.

Comparison of the Three Methods: UPDF, Acrobat, iLovePDF

We have discussed adding text to your PDF document using the three PDF editing tools. Now, let's have a look at which one of these three tools is best compared to the other. Read the following table to choose which tool can efficiently edit your PDF without losing your time and money.

Metric	UPDF	Adobe Acrobat	iLovePDF
Pricing	Yearly Plan: $35.99 Perpetual Plan: $55.99 AI Add-ons: $58 per year	Acrobat Pro: $239.88.99 per year	Premium Plan: $7 per month ($84 per year)
Add Text to PDF
Edit Text Size
Edit Font
Change the Color of Added Text
Align Text
AI Tools
Cost-Effective
Safe to Use
Easy to Use
Fast Processing

The above comparison table clearly shows that UPDF is the best PDF editing tool out of the three tools mentioned. In addition, if you want to learn more about the benefits of UPDF, the following article will showcase some of them.

UPDF is an AI-integrated software that helps you summarize, translate, rewrite, and explain your PDF content. On the contrary, Acrobat and ilovepdf don't support AI features yet.
These tools can be accessed through multiple platforms, and you can open UPDF on four different devices from a single account or purchase.
It is the most cost-effective PDF editing tool, pricing at only 12% compared to Adobe Acrobat. Moreover, it also offers more editing tools functionality than other tools online.
If users have any software-related problems, they can access the 24/6 customer service of UPDF. They listen to feedback and suggestions and ensure swift responses to your issues.
Additionally, UPDF software frequently updates with an introduction to new features and tools to provide users with the finest performance.

There is much to explore with UPDF editing software; therefore, download it to experience the perfect PDF editor. In addition, unlock the ultimate PDF toolkit with UPDF Pro. Upgrade now and see the magic!

Useful Tips on How to Add Text to PDF

Tip #1: PDF Layout Changes

Always watch for any changes to the layout of the PDF when adding text - you may inadvertently misalign content on subsequent pages. The best way to avoid this is to extract the page in question, add your text to the PDF page, and then insert it back into the original document.

Tip #2: Modifying the Original PDF

Before modifying the original PDF file, remember to make a copy of it before you edit it. Create a copy and then add your text to the new version - you can always rename the new file the same as the original and replace it if you're sure you won't need it later on for version referencing and other purposes.

Tip #3: Font-matching in PDFs

If you need to add a new text block with the exact same font attributes as any existing text in your PDF file, you can go into edit mode, copy a portion of the text that has the attributes you want, and then paste this into the text box and continue typing - the new text will automatically be detected and the font attributes will be consistent throughout your document. UPDF has an automatic font detection feature to help you match the original font easily.

Conclusion

As you can see, only 2 steps are needed to add text to PDF with UPDF in terms of its user-friendly interface. Besides adding text, it also supports editing images and links and has various advanced features like electronic signatures and OCR technology. If you want to learn more about this software, read the UPDF review on How-To-Geek. There is still a lot of fun using the UPDF editor, download it today and experience it!