---
title: "Add text, images, shapes and whiteout to a PDF"
description: "Type anywhere on a PDF, insert a logo or photo, draw boxes and arrows, add ticks, tables and dates, or white out content. Every tool in the editor toolbar."
url: https://help.pdfbetter.com/editing/add-text-images-shapes/
collection: "Editing & annotating"
section: "Basics"
updated: 2026-10-18
publisher: "PDFBetter (AI Generated Inc.)"
---

# Add text, images, shapes and whiteout to a PDF

> In **Edit & fill** mode, pick a tool from the toolbar (**Text**, **Image**, **Erase**, shapes, marks, **Table**, **Date**, **Draw**) and click or drag on the page. Select anything you added to restyle, move, lock or copy it to other pages.

- Counts toward: Edited-document downloads

Do it in PDFBetter: https://pdfbetter.com/app/documents/

Everything you add sits on top of the original page and stays editable until you download. Tools that don't fit the toolbar's width move into **More**. Signatures and initials are in the **Sign** menu; see [Sign a PDF yourself](https://help.pdfbetter.com/signing/sign-pdf-yourself/).

| Tool | What it adds | How to place it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Text** (`T`) | Free text | Click to type, or drag to set a wrap width. `Enter` starts a new line. |
| **Text box** | Text that wraps inside a fixed width | Drag to set the box size, or click for a default box. |
| **Image** | PNG or JPG (logo, stamp, photo) | Click where it goes, then choose a file. You can also paste or drop an image. |
| **Check**, **Dot**, **Cross** | Ticks, filled bubbles, crosses | Click each box or bubble. |
| **Shapes**: Rectangle, Ellipse, Line, Arrow | Boxes, circles, lines, arrows | Drag. Hold `Shift` for a square or circle, or to snap lines to 45°. |
| **Table** | A grid you can type into | Drag a box, or click for 3 × 3. Use **Edit cells** to type. |
| **Date** | Today's date in a format you choose | Click where the date goes. |
| **Draw** (`D`) | Freehand ink | Draw with a mouse, pen or finger. |
| **Erase** | Whiteout over existing content | Drag over what to cover. |
| **Blackout** | A solid black box | Drag over what to cover. |

1. **Pick a tool**: Click it in the toolbar. Grouped tools (marks, shapes, markup, notes) remember the last one you used; the small arrow next to a group shows the rest.
2. **Place it on the page**: Click or drag as the hint under the toolbar says. Press `Esc` to go back to **Select**.
3. **Style it**: Select the item. The properties bar shows its options: font, size, colors, **Border**, **Fill**, **Opacity**, **Line width** and so on. **Position and size (points)** sets exact coordinates.
4. **Arrange or reuse it**: Use **Arrange** to **Bring to front** or **Send to back**, **Lock in place** so it can't be moved by accident, **Duplicate**, or **To other pages…** → **Copy to pages** to repeat it at the same spot on other pages (for example `2-5` or `odd`).

> **Whiteout and Blackout only hide content:** **Erase** and **Blackout** cover content visually; the text and images underneath stay in the file and can be copied out. To remove content for real, use **Redact**. See [Redact a PDF permanently](https://help.pdfbetter.com/editing/redact-pdf-permanently/).

| Action | Keys |
| --- | --- |
| Select | `V` |
| Move anything without editing it | `M` |
| Add text | `T` |
| Draw | `D` |
| Duplicate | `⌘/Ctrl` + `D` |
| Copy / paste objects (images paste too) | `⌘/Ctrl` + `C / V` |
| Nudge 1 pt (Shift: 10 pt) | `Arrows` |
| Delete the selection | `Delete` |
| Show every shortcut | `?` |

### My image was refused. Why?

The editor accepts PNG and JPG. Very large photos are refused; use a smaller or cropped image, or export the photo again at a lower resolution.

### How do I resize an image without stretching it?

Drag a corner handle: the aspect ratio stays locked. Hold `Shift` while dragging to stretch it on purpose.

### Can I turn off the alignment guides?

Hold `Alt` while dragging, or switch off **Smart guides** in the editor's side-panel settings.

## Related articles

- [Edit the existing text in a PDF](https://help.pdfbetter.com/editing/edit-existing-pdf-text.md): Switch the editor from Fill out to Edit PDF (or press E), click a line of the document's text and type. The new text is drawn over a cover patch in the closest standard font; the old characters stay in the file unless you redact them.
- [Highlight, comment on and annotate a PDF](https://help.pdfbetter.com/editing/highlight-comment-annotate.md): Use Highlight, Underline or Strikeout and drag across text; use Sticky or Comment for notes and threads. Open More → Review annotations to reply, resolve and filter, and Done → Export comments for a PDF, CSV or JSON summary.
- [Undo changes and restore an earlier version](https://help.pdfbetter.com/editing/undo-and-version-history.md): Press ⌘/Ctrl Z to undo and ⇧ ⌘/Ctrl Z (or Ctrl Y) to redo. Your work saves automatically; to go further back, open More (⋯) → Version history and click Restore on any version. Restoring never erases the current state.
- [Sign a PDF yourself](https://help.pdfbetter.com/signing/sign-pdf-yourself.md): Open the PDF, choose Sign → Add signature, create your signature (type, draw or upload) and select Save and sign, then click where it goes. Download with Done → Download. This adds a visual signature; to collect other people's signatures with evidence, request signatures instead.
- [Keyboard shortcuts](https://help.pdfbetter.com/getting-started/keyboard-shortcuts.md): Press ? anywhere in the dashboard or the editor to see the shortcuts for that screen. The essentials: ⌘ K to search, U to upload, T for text, S to sign, ⌘ Z to undo and Tab to move between form fields.
- [Create a new PDF from scratch](https://help.pdfbetter.com/editing/create-blank-pdf.md): Click New in the sidebar and choose Blank document. PDFBetter opens one empty page in the editor (US Letter or A4, depending on your language), where you can type, add images and shapes, build form fields and add more pages.

---
Source: https://help.pdfbetter.com/editing/add-text-images-shapes/ · PDFBetter Help Center · Last checked against the product 2026-10-18. Questions: support@pdfbetter.com