How to Edit a PDF on iPhone

How to Edit PDF Files using the Files App

The Files app is a pre-installed app on iOS devices. As the name shows, it was initially intended to be a file organization tool. But, it also has various other features, one of which is to allow you to edit PDFs. You will not need to install a third-party app, and the editing process follows straightforward steps.

The first essential component to keep in mind is the requirement of iOS 15. Essentially, this dictates that you need to keep your iPhone updated. It is a huge plus factor that Apple also offers updates to older versions of the iPhone. This means that iPhone devices that are now classed as "vintage," such as the iPhone 6s and iPhone SE (the first generation), are still eligible for updates.

Open the PDF you wish to edit inside the Files app on your iPhone. Go to the Files app, which comes already installed on iPhones, where you can find the PDF and open it. Incidentally, you can store any PDF obtained through your iPhone inside the Files app.

How to Highlight and Draw in PDF on iPhone or iPad

In the Files app on iPhone, you can draw lines and highlight text in different colors in your PDF. There is also a ruler that you can use to draw straight lines and measurements. Here's how to draw and highlight in your PDF:

1. Open the native Files app and open the PDF file you wish to edit.
2. Click on the marker icon in the top-right corner of the screen. A toolbar will appear with different tools.
3. Select the first marker to draw lines, and the next option is for highlighting text.
4. You can select the solid circle at the top to choose the precise color you would like from the various Grid, Spectrum, and Sliders choices available. If you want to choose from a pre-existing color in the PDF, click on the solid circle and select the Eyedropper icon from the top left.

Figure 1 - Colour Selection

How to Combine Multiple PDFs on iPhone or iPad

You can edit a single PDF or select and merge two or more PDFs and combine them into one PDF. In the Files application, you must press the "three dots" icon at the top-right of the screen. Then, tap "Select" from the list and select the PDF files you want to merge.

Figure 2 - Select Option

After selecting the files, you should go to the same "three dots" icon, but this time it will be in the lower-right part of the screen. Tap on it and find the "Create PDF" option. If you select this option, only one PDF document will be created.

Figure 3 - Create PDF

Once you are done with the edit, you can tap "Done" on the top-left of the screen, and the edited version of the PDF will be saved to your device. You can tap the PDF name to rename it if you wish.

How to Insert Pages and Change Orientation in PDFs on iPhone and iPad

Once you've selected the pages you want to edit, you can tap on the "Marker" icon in the top-right corner of the screen. But there's more: if you tap the "three dots" on the page in the sidebar, you'll be offered five new editing options. These options include the ability to change the pages' orientation: you can rotate the page left or right using the first two options in the list.

Figure 4 - Rotate and Insert

You can also add a new blank page to your PDF file by selecting the "Insert Blank Page" option or by selecting and adding another document using the Files app. There is also an option in the list to scan a document and add it directly to the PDF.

Third-Party Apps

You can also use third-party apps to edit PDF files on an iPhone and iPad. We will discuss the best apps for editing PDFs on iPhones and iPads below.

1. PDFelement - Free PDF Editor

The finest PDF editing software for iPhone and iPad is PDFelement for iOS. It allows you to edit PDF text on iPads and iPhones, annotate PDF documents with various tools, merge and divide PDF files, and more.

2. iAnnotate

This application is primarily helpful for annotating PDF documents, as the name implies. The PDF may be highlighted, underlined, struck through, and even drawn on. While both documents are open, you may go back and forth between them.

3. GoodReader

GoodReader allows users to view, write, and modify PDF annotations with this super-easy-to-use PDF-reader software. It also allows you to manage your files and folders by copying, renaming, moving, and transferring them. Unlike other PDF readers, it supports not just PDFs but also Word, Excel, PowerPoint, TXT, and HTML.

4. PDF Expert

This is a fantastic mobile PDF editor for annotation and categorization, as well as a tremendous reading experience. It allows you to annotate a document, add a digital signature, and even alter the text of a PDF document.

5. Adobe Acrobat Reader

The Adobe Reader iOS app is light and agile, with a slew of useful features, including the ability to annotate PDFs while reading. You may use a PDF file to highlight text, fill out forms, sign papers, and even password-protect them.

IronPDF - Edit PDFs using C# Library

Did you ever wonder how you can edit PDF documents using the C# programming language? If yes, then you are in the right place. In this section, we will discuss how to do so.

IronPDF is a .NET library used to perform all PDF-related tasks. It allows its users to manipulate and edit PDF files.

IronPDF makes it a piece of cake for developers to edit PDF pages and fulfill all their other PDF-related requirements. For those wondering how it can be done, below is a simple example using Visual Studio.

Environment Setup

First of all, open Visual Studio and go to Tools. Then, extend the NuGet Package manager and click on the second option as shown in the image below.

Next, a NuGet solution window will appear. In this window, go to Browse, search for IronPDF, and install it.

Once IronPDF is installed, you can then edit PDFs with simple code. Below are a few examples.

// Import required libraries
using IronPdf;
using System.Collections.Generic;

// Initialize a PDF renderer
var Renderer = new IronPdf.ChromePdfRenderer();

// Create a list to hold multiple PDF documents
var PDFs = new List<PdfDocument>();

// Add existing PDFs to the list
PDFs.Add(PdfDocument.FromFile("A.pdf"));
PDFs.Add(PdfDocument.FromFile("B.pdf"));
PDFs.Add(PdfDocument.FromFile("C.pdf"));

// Merge the PDFs into a single document
using PdfDocument PDF = PdfDocument.Merge(PDFs);

// Save the merged PDF
PDF.SaveAs("merged.pdf");

// Add a cover page at the beginning of the PDF
PDF.PrependPdf(Renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Cover Page</h1><hr>"));

// Remove the last page from the PDF and save again
PDF.RemovePage(PDF.PageCount - 1);
PDF.SaveAs("merged.pdf");

// Copy pages 5-7 and save them as a new document.
PDF.CopyPages(4, 6).SaveAs("excerpt.pdf");

// Dispose of all PDF objects to free resources
foreach (var pdf in PDFs)
{
    pdf.Dispose();
}

// Import required libraries
using IronPdf;
using System.Collections.Generic;

// Initialize a PDF renderer
var Renderer = new IronPdf.ChromePdfRenderer();

// Create a list to hold multiple PDF documents
var PDFs = new List<PdfDocument>();

// Add existing PDFs to the list
PDFs.Add(PdfDocument.FromFile("A.pdf"));
PDFs.Add(PdfDocument.FromFile("B.pdf"));
PDFs.Add(PdfDocument.FromFile("C.pdf"));

// Merge the PDFs into a single document
using PdfDocument PDF = PdfDocument.Merge(PDFs);

// Save the merged PDF
PDF.SaveAs("merged.pdf");

// Add a cover page at the beginning of the PDF
PDF.PrependPdf(Renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Cover Page</h1><hr>"));

// Remove the last page from the PDF and save again
PDF.RemovePage(PDF.PageCount - 1);
PDF.SaveAs("merged.pdf");

// Copy pages 5-7 and save them as a new document.
PDF.CopyPages(4, 6).SaveAs("excerpt.pdf");

// Dispose of all PDF objects to free resources
foreach (var pdf in PDFs)
{
    pdf.Dispose();
}

For more information about IronPDF's editing capabilities, please visit the IronPDF Examples Page.

Here is the IronPDF Library Download Page to download the IronPDF library.