Four PDF text editing modes

When to use it

Overlay, guarded direct edit, existing-text patch and OCR patch: what changes and why the modes stay distinct. The situations below show when this guide can help you choose the right workflow and avoid unnecessary processing.

• You need to choose between adding a label and changing existing text.
• You need to correct a recognized word while keeping search.

How it works

This guide divides the topic into three consecutive stages: new text, supported change, ocr patch. Follow them in order to understand the result and the points that require manual review.

1. 01New textOverlay adds an independent object over the page and does not replace source text.
2. 02Supported changeGuarded direct edit and existing patch pass font, encoding, bounds and overflow preflight.
3. 03OCR patchCorrecting a recognized word updates the searchable layer and, when required, a visual mask.

What changes

Before starting, identify which parts of the document will change and which will remain intact. The list below describes changes in the output copy rather than hidden modifications to the source file.

• Overlay adds a new page object.
• Direct edit changes a supported source text fragment.
• Existing patch replaces a confirmed fragment in the result copy.
• OCR patch updates recognized text, not the source scan image by itself.

What can be lost

Some operations affect more than the visible page and can change text layers, forms, links or signatures. This list helps you decide whether the separate output copy is suitable for the next stage of your work.

• A confirmed existing-text crop can hide part of the replacement.
• An OCR patch changes the searchable layer and requires a visual mask when visible text is corrected.

Limitations

Limitations describe the current implementation boundary and the cases that require additional review. Check them before uploading, especially when a document is complex, protected or contains important structure.

• Overlay does not change the source content stream.
• Direct edit supports only validated font, subset and encoding cases.
• Existing and OCR patches are blocked by overflow, missing masks or ambiguous geometry.

Related tools

Related tools let you move directly from the explanation to the appropriate action. Each tool uses its own workflow and shows its specific limits before processing starts.