How to edit a PDF in Microsoft Edge

What Edge's built-in PDF reader can and can't do

When you open a PDF in Edge, the browser shows it in a clean reader with a small markup toolbar. That toolbar is genuinely useful for reviewing and commenting, but it stops short of real editing.

Knowing where the line falls saves you time, so here's an honest breakdown.

• It can: highlight passages, draw freehand with the pen, add typed text notes, and read aloud.
• It can't: change words that are already printed in the PDF, swap a wrong figure inside a sentence, or fix a typo in the original text.
• It can't: match the document's embedded font when you add new text, so anything you type tends to look pasted on.
• It can't: rearrange, rotate, or delete pages from the markup view.

Highlight and add notes with Edge's reader (quick markup)

If all you need is to flag a clause or scribble a comment, the built-in reader is the fastest route, with no other tools required.

• Right-click the PDF and choose Open with Microsoft Edge, or drag the file onto an Edge window.
• Use the Highlight tool to drag over text you want to mark.
• Pick the Draw (pen) tool to circle or underline anything by hand.
• Click Add text to drop a typed note on the page.
• Choose Save to keep your markup in the file.

Edit the actual text in Edge with a browser-based editor

When you need to correct or rewrite the words already in the PDF, not just annotate around them, load a browser-based PDF editor in an Edge tab. It opens like any website and does all the work locally on your machine.

The key difference from Edge's reader: edited text reuses the document's real embedded font, so a corrected price, name, or date blends in instead of looking patched over.

• Open the editor in a new Edge tab.
• Choose your PDF from your PC; it loads in the browser and stays on your device, with nothing uploaded.
• Click directly on existing text to retype it; the editor keeps the original font and size.
• Add new text where you need it; it auto-matches the nearby font, size, and color.
• Sign, highlight, draw, drop in an image or logo, or add a stamp as needed.
• Rotate, delete, or reorder pages if the document needs restructuring.
• Click Download to save the finished PDF.

Why edit locally in Edge instead of uploading

Many online PDF tools send your file to a server to process it. For contracts, invoices, IDs, or medical forms, that means your document leaves your computer.

A browser-based editor that runs inside Edge avoids this. The PDF is opened and edited by code running in your own tab, so the file never goes anywhere. You get the convenience of a website with the privacy of a desktop app, and no account, watermark, or fee.