Edit and mark up a PDF without uploading it
Highlight, add text, draw boxes and white-out pixels directly on the page.
Free: 3 jobs per UTC day, 25 MB per file. PDF exports include a visible Made with Bindery watermark. Pro exports clean PDFs.
Prefer the full studio? Open Markup PDF in the app →
Bindery renders the page on your device and lets you place highlights, text labels, outline boxes and white-out regions with a live visual canvas. Move between pages, undo the latest mark or clear a page before writing the result into a new PDF.
White-out is visual markup, not secure redaction: it covers pixels but does not remove an existing hidden text layer. Use Redact PDF when information must truly disappear. Bindery runs entirely in your browser — your file is never uploaded, so there is nothing to delete from a server afterwards.
How it works
- Drop the PDF and open Markup & edit
- Choose Highlight, Text, White-out or Box and place the marks
- Review every page, apply the markup and download the new copy
What “editing a PDF” realistically means
A PDF is a fixed layout, not a document you re-type. Editing it means placing things on the page — highlights, text labels, boxes, white-out over a region — and, where the file allows it, changing the words a text run draws. Bindery renders the page on your device and gives you both. Highlight, Text, Box and White-out place marks with a live canvas, page by page, with undo. Replace text decodes the string a run draws, lets you retype it, and re-encodes it with the same font when that font has the glyphs — falling back to a standard font when it does not, and saying so rather than rasterising.
For moving, scaling or deleting whole images and text blocks, Edit objects works at the content-stream level. For comments that a reviewer can reply to or delete, Comment & link writes real annotations instead of permanent marks. The guide on how to edit a PDF for free maps each need to the right tool.
White-out is not redaction
White-out covers pixels. The text underneath stays in the file, selectable and searchable, one copy-paste away. It is fine for tidying a scan or hiding a stray mark; it is the wrong tool for names, prices, account numbers and anything personal. Use Redact, which re-renders the marked pages without the text, whenever information must be gone.
Marking up in the browser versus uploading
| Edit and mark up | Bindery | Upload-based tools |
|---|---|---|
| Where the file is processed | In your browser tab, on your device | Uploaded to the service’s servers |
| Tools | Highlight, text, box, white-out, replace text | Varies; full editors upload the file |
| Existing text | Re-encoded with the original font when possible | Varies |
| Drafts and contracts | Never leave the device | Uploaded, retained for a period |
| What exists afterwards | The original and the new file, both on your device | A server copy until the retention window ends |
| Works offline | Yes, once the app has loaded | No |
Questions people ask
Can I edit existing PDF text?
No. Bindery places new text and marks over the page; it does not rewrite existing paragraphs or fonts. A full PDF content editor is better for changing original text.
Does white-out permanently remove sensitive text?
No. White-out hides visible pixels only. The original text layer can remain searchable or extractable, so use the Redact tool for secrets, personal data or legal disclosure.
Is my marked-up PDF uploaded?
No. Page rendering, mark placement and PDF output all happen in your browser.
Can I change a date or a name in the existing text?
Often, yes: choose Replace text, click the run and retype it. If the embedded font lacks a glyph you need — subset fonts carry only the characters the document used — Bindery sets the run in a standard font and tells you.
Can I add a page of new text?
Markup places text labels on the page; for a full page of prose, write it in Word, convert with Word to PDF, and merge it in.
Are the marks permanent?
Yes — they are drawn into the page content. Use Comment & link for annotations the recipient can edit or remove.