2 Free Digital Tools To Edit PDFs
It's not something you have to do often, but when you have to do it, you have to do it.
Helloooooo!
Did you miss me? I missed you!
I was swamped with election season and took some time off from writing this humble little newsletter to focus on the many elections I was working.
But not to worry - I’m back. So get ready to refill your bookmarks with lots of great free digital tools!
Before we dive in — I’d love to hear from you. Which tools that you learned about here have you found yourself using the most? Are there any kinds of tools you’d like to see more (or less) of?
Hit reply and let me know. It really does help me plan future episodes.
Know anyone who might appreciate what we’re doing here? Invite them to join us! As you know, we’re all really nice, and cool, and we all LOVE free digital tools!
So today we’re talking about PDF editing.
Canva’s Free Online PDF Editor
Tool type: Web App
Canva has a lot of tools hidden within its platform.
One that’s often overlooked — their Free PDF Editor.
You can upload any PDF into Canva and… edit it!
Which is huge, as you would know if you’ve ever wanted to tweak a PDF without having to upgrade Adobe Acrobat.
Once you’ve uploaded your file, Canva will convert it into an editable document.
Now it’s worth mentioning, if your PDF is a bit complicated, this might not work perfectly. But I have used it in the past and it’s been super useful.
You can change pictures, edit text, add additional content, use the pen tool to “write” your signature… all that fun stuff.
So the next time you need to edit a PDF, head to Canva.
Learn more, watch their quick tutorial, and get started at canva.com/pdf-editor.
FREE or FREEmium: FREE
While Canva does have a pro membership, this is one of their many, many free tools.
TinyWow Edit PDF
Tool type: WebApp
Need to edit a PDF and really don’t want to use Canva? Check out TinyWow’s Free PDF Editor.
It works very similarly to Canva’s though you don’t even need an account to get to work.
One benefit of Canva is you have their full suite of elements and photos. TinyWow is fine though for simpler edits.
To get started, head to tinywow.com/pdf/edit and upload your PDF.
TinyWow actually has a bunch of other free PDF tools available. (You can find all of them at tinywow.com/tooks/pdf.)
One that I’ve never used, but have bookmarked for future use, is their tool to Merge PDFs. Like editing a PDF, that’s one of those things you almost never have to do. But when you do have to do it, it’s super complicated.
Or… it used to be anyway!
FREE or FREEmium: FREE
All of TinyWow’s many digital tools are free and don’t require an account. They do offer a paid version for $5.99/month which removes ads and captcha. Though in my experience, the site isn’t ad or captcha-heavy. From how it’s written, it sounds more like this is a way to support them, if you appreciate their tools.
So the next time you need to edit a PDF, you’re covered!
Have questions? Ideas for future episodes? Just want to let me know you’re happy I’m back in your inbox? Hit reply and say hello. I’m see your email and respond.
If you like Free Digital Tools, you probably know others who will too. Invite them to join us. They’ll appreciate it… as will I!
Tomorrow morning (Wed 1/15), I’ll be speaking at Social Media Breakfast in Madison, WI. I’m covering 10 Social Media Tips and Strategies You Should Be Utilizing. It’s free to attend (and there will be free coffee and breakfast!) — you just have to RSVP.
If you can’t make it in person, they’ll be streaming the session live on Facebook and LinkedIn. Check it out.
If I don’t see you tomorrow, I’ll see you in a fortnight!
Josh
joshklemons.com
One More Thing
Since I wrote last, I’ve put out a few podcast episodes you might appreciate:
I dropped an episode of Step Up Your Social (all eps are 10 mins or less) all about Bluesky. You can listen here.
I checked in with two Wisconsin legislative candidates (State Senator Sarah Keyeski and Emily Tseffos) who ran particularly strong digital programs. You can listen here.
And I checked in with two strong women of color who work in the Wisconsin State Capitol (Rep Francesca Hong and her Chief of Staff Nada Elmikashfi) about representation in the digital age. You can listen here.