Chrome’s built-in PDF viewer is not a full PDF editor, but it handles the everyday jobs. On a computer you can draw and highlight on a PDF, add your own text, erase your marks, fill in forms, sign by drawing your signature, and rotate pages, then download a copy with your changes. Google’s help lists no tool for changing the text or images already in a PDF. Here is exactly what it does, based on Google’s Manage PDFs in Chrome help.
What the built-in viewer can and can’t do
- Can: draw with a pen, highlight, add text, erase your own marks, undo and redo, fill in form fields, draw a signature, rotate and zoom pages, search the text (including scanned pages, which Chrome converts with OCR on your device), download with or without your changes, and save to Google Drive.
- Can’t: Google’s help lists no tools for editing the PDF’s own text or images, rearranging or deleting pages, or adding a certified digital signature. For those jobs you need a dedicated PDF editor.
Draw or highlight on a PDF
- Open the PDF in Chrome. If the tools don’t show, select the PDF menu > Open in new tab.
- Select Draw.
- In the panel on the right, choose Pen or Highlighter, then a size and color.
- Click and hold while you drag the mouse, or tap and hold while you drag on a touchpad.
- To remove a mark, select Eraser and go over it. Undo and Redo fix mistakes.
In a narrow window, the tools move to a compact panel at the bottom. With the keyboard, you can also highlight text: select Draw, press Tab to focus the PDF, then hold Shift and use the arrow keys.
Add text to a PDF
- Open the PDF in Chrome.
- Select Add text.
- Choose a font, style and color in the sidebar.
- Click where you want the text and type.
This adds new text on the page. It doesn’t change the text that is already there.
Fill in a PDF form
- Open the form in Chrome.
- Click each field and type.
- Select Download > With your changes to keep a filled-in copy. On a Chromebook, select Save.
You can open the saved copy in Chrome later and keep editing, as Google’s Download a file help notes. If a form won’t take typing, see fixes for PDF viewer features.
Sign a PDF
- Zoom in to the place that needs your signature.
- Select Draw > Pen and choose a size and color.
- Draw your signature with the mouse or touchpad.
- Select Done, then download the PDF with your changes.
This is a drawn signature. If someone asks for a certified or verified digital signature, use the signing service they name.
Rotate, zoom and fit pages
The viewer’s toolbar has Rotate, Zoom in, Zoom out, Fit to page and Fit to width.
Save your edited PDF
- To your computer: select Download > With your changes.
- To Google Drive: select Save to Drive at the top right, choose your Google Account, and select Save. The file lands in the “Saved from Chrome” folder. This doesn’t work in Incognito or a Guest profile.
On an Android phone or tablet
Open the PDF in Chrome and tap Edit at the bottom right. The PDF opens in Google Drive, where you get a pen, highlighter, eraser, undo and redo, and a button to hide or show annotations. Google’s Android PDF help says these features need Android 12 or newer.
Turning a web page into a PDF instead?
To make a PDF from a web page rather than edit one, see our guide to printing to PDF in Chrome.