How to Replace Text in a PDF

Darrius Serrant

Updated:July 28, 2025

Swapping out text within a PDF is incredibly convenient for swiftly and accurately editing content. It's perfect for fixing typos, refreshing information, or tailoring templates for specific needs. This feature is a real-time-saver, particularly for documents that need frequent updates or personalized touches.

IronPDF offers a text replacement feature for PDFs, making it an indispensable tool for developers and professionals seeking to automate or customize PDF content.

How to Replace Text in a PDF

Download the Java library to replace text in a PDF
Load an existing PDF or create a new one
Use the replaceText method to replace text on all pages
Use PageSelection to specify the pages for more accurate text replacement
Save and export the edited PDF document

Start using IronPDF in your project today with a free trial.

First Step:

Replace Text Example

To replace text, we can simply call the replaceText method. The method takes three parameters: the first one is PageSelection, which specifies the page; the second is a string representing the old text; and the third is the new text. For this example below, we will call the PageSelection.firstPage() method, which retrieves the first page of the PDF. We will replace all instances of '.NET6' with '.NET7'. You will encounter a runtime exception if the method cannot find the specified old text. Alt text

Code

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.*;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.edit.PageSelection;
import java.io.IOException;

/**
 * Main application class for demonstrating how to replace text in a PDF.
 */
public class App {

    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {

        // Set the IronPDF license key
        License.setLicenseKey("IRONPDF-MYLICENSE-KEY-1EF01");

        // Render HTML content into a PDF
        PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.renderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>.NET6</h1>");

        // Define the old and new text for replacement
        String oldText = ".NET6";
        String newText = ".NET7";

        // Replace all instances of oldText with newText on the first page
        pdf.replaceText(PageSelection.firstPage(), oldText, newText);

        // Save the resulting PDF document
        pdf.saveAs("replaceText.pdf");
    }
}

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.*;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.edit.PageSelection;
import java.io.IOException;

/**
 * Main application class for demonstrating how to replace text in a PDF.
 */
public class App {

    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {

        // Set the IronPDF license key
        License.setLicenseKey("IRONPDF-MYLICENSE-KEY-1EF01");

        // Render HTML content into a PDF
        PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.renderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>.NET6</h1>");

        // Define the old and new text for replacement
        String oldText = ".NET6";
        String newText = ".NET7";

        // Replace all instances of oldText with newText on the first page
        pdf.replaceText(PageSelection.firstPage(), oldText, newText);

        // Save the resulting PDF document
        pdf.saveAs("replaceText.pdf");
    }
}

JAVA

Tips

All page indexes follow zero-based indexing.

Output PDF

Replace Text on Multiple Pages

We use the same replaceText method to replace text on multiple pages. But this time, we call the pageRange method from the PageSelection class and input a list of Integers to specify that we want to replace the text only on the first and third pages.

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.*;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.edit.PageSelection;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.List;

/**
 * Main application class for demonstrating how to replace text on multiple pages of a PDF.
 */
public class App {

    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {

        // Set the IronPDF license key
        License.setLicenseKey("IRONPDF-MYLICENSE-KEY-1EF01");

        // HTML content that will be converted to a 3-page PDF
        String html = "<p> .NET6 </p>" +
                      "<p> This is 1st Page </p>" +
                      "<div style='page-break-after: always;'></div>" +
                      "<p> This is 2nd Page</p>" +
                      "<div style='page-break-after: always;'></div>" +
                      "<p> .NET6 </p>" +
                      "<p> This is 3rd Page</p>";

        // Render the HTML content into a PDF
        PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.renderHtmlAsPdf(html);

        // Define the old and new text for replacement
        String oldText = ".NET6";
        String newText = ".NET7";

        // Define the pages where text replacement should occur (first and third page)
        List<Integer> pages = Arrays.asList(0, 2);

        // Replace the text on specified pages
        pdf.replaceText(PageSelection.pageRange(pages), oldText, newText);

        // Save the resulting PDF document
        pdf.saveAs("replaceTextOnMultiplePages.pdf");
    }
}

import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.*;
import com.ironsoftware.ironpdf.edit.PageSelection;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.List;

/**
 * Main application class for demonstrating how to replace text on multiple pages of a PDF.
 */
public class App {

    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {

        // Set the IronPDF license key
        License.setLicenseKey("IRONPDF-MYLICENSE-KEY-1EF01");

        // HTML content that will be converted to a 3-page PDF
        String html = "<p> .NET6 </p>" +
                      "<p> This is 1st Page </p>" +
                      "<div style='page-break-after: always;'></div>" +
                      "<p> This is 2nd Page</p>" +
                      "<div style='page-break-after: always;'></div>" +
                      "<p> .NET6 </p>" +
                      "<p> This is 3rd Page</p>";

        // Render the HTML content into a PDF
        PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.renderHtmlAsPdf(html);

        // Define the old and new text for replacement
        String oldText = ".NET6";
        String newText = ".NET7";

        // Define the pages where text replacement should occur (first and third page)
        List<Integer> pages = Arrays.asList(0, 2);

        // Replace the text on specified pages
        pdf.replaceText(PageSelection.pageRange(pages), oldText, newText);

        // Save the resulting PDF document
        pdf.saveAs("replaceTextOnMultiplePages.pdf");
    }
}

JAVA

Output PDF

Explore PageSelection Class

Like the example above, using the PageSelection methods allows developers to specify which pages to replace text within. A complete list of the parameters is below.

Please note

Since the PageSelection class methods are static, you do not need to create a new instance to use its methods. The page index starts at 0.

allPages: A method that selects all pages of the PDF.
firstPage: A method that selects the first page of the PDF.
lastPage: A method that selects the last page of the PDF.
pageRange(int startIndex, int endIndex): A method that specifies a range of pages to select. For example, setting startIndex = 0 and endIndex = 2 selects pages 1 to 3.
pageRange(List<Integer> pageList): A method that specifies which pages to select; from the example above, if the list contains the integers 0 and 2, the method selects only the first and third page, skipping the second page.
singlePage(int pageIndex): A method that specifies a single page of the PDF.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the text replacement feature used for?

IronPDF's text replacement feature is used to swiftly and accurately edit content within a PDF. It is ideal for fixing typos, refreshing information, or tailoring templates for specific needs, and is a time-saver for documents that require frequent updates or personalized touches.

How do I replace text in a PDF using a Java library?

To replace text in a PDF using IronPDF in Java, you need to download the library, load an existing PDF or create a new one, and use the replaceText method to perform the text replacement. You can specify pages for replacement using the PageSelection class, and finally, save and export the edited PDF document.

What parameters does the replaceText method take?

The replaceText method takes three parameters: PageSelection to specify the page, a string representing the old text, and a string for the new text.

Can I replace text on multiple pages using a Java library?

Yes, you can replace text on multiple pages using the replaceText method in conjunction with the PageSelection class. You can specify a list of pages or a range of pages where the text replacement should occur.

What happens if the old text is not found during replacement?

If the specified old text cannot be found during the replacement process, a runtime exception will be encountered.

How do you specify which pages to replace text on?

You can specify which pages to replace text on using the PageSelection class. This class provides methods like allPages, firstPage, lastPage, pageRange, and singlePage to select desired pages for text replacement.

Is it necessary to create an instance of the PageSelection class to use its methods?

No, since the PageSelection class methods are static, you do not need to create a new instance to use its methods.

What is the significance of zero-based indexing in the library?

In IronPDF, all page indexes follow zero-based indexing, meaning the index of the first page starts at 0. This is important for accurately specifying page numbers when using the PageSelection methods.

How do I save the edited PDF document after replacing text?

After replacing text in the PDF, you can save the edited document by calling the saveAs method on the PdfDocument object, specifying the desired file name.

Darrius Serrant

Chat with engineering team now

Full Stack Software Engineer (WebOps)

Darrius Serrant holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Miami and works as a Full Stack WebOps Marketing Engineer at Iron Software. Drawn to coding from a young age, he saw computing as both mysterious and accessible, making it the perfect medium for creativity and problem-solving.

At Iron Software, Darrius enjoys creating new things and simplifying complex concepts to make them more understandable. As one of our resident developers, he has also volunteered to teach students, sharing his expertise with the next generation.

For Darrius, his work is fulfilling because it is valued and has a real impact.