How to edit a PDF (add text, highlights and shapes) on Linux
You don't need special software to edit a PDF (add text, highlights and shapes) on Linux. FernPDF runs entirely in Firefox or Chrome on Linux: open the tool, drop your file, download the result. The whole editor runs in your browser: rendering, editing and saving all happen on your device.
On Linux, you drag it into the drop zone from your file manager, or click to open the browser's native file picker. Once the edited PDF is ready, it downloads to your ~/Downloads folder, or wherever your browser's settings point downloads, the same as any other file it saves.
The picker's exact look depends on your desktop environment (GNOME, KDE, Xfce), but the underlying behaviour is identical: it's a standard browser file input, not a custom uploader that behaves differently across distributions.
No hunting for the right CLI flags or building tools from source. A browser is the only dependency, on any distribution.
Step by step
- 1Open the Edit PDF tool in Firefox or Chrome on Linux. No install, no account.
- 2Add the PDF you want to change: drag it into the drop zone from your file manager, or click to open the browser's native file picker.
- 3Add text boxes, highlights, shapes, images or whiteout, or switch to Edit text mode to rewrite existing lines.
- 4Click “Save” and download the edited PDF. It lands in your ~/Downloads folder, or wherever your browser's settings point downloads, the same as any other file it saves.
Common questions
Every FernPDF tool processes files in your browser: read how the privacy model works, or verify it yourself in your network tab.