How to Cross Out Text in Adobe PDF: A Simple Guide

Understanding the Strikethrough Tool in PDFs

The "strikethrough" tool in PDF editing provides a visual indication that specific text should be removed or is no longer valid. It appears as a horizontal line drawn through the selected text, making the intended change clear to anyone viewing the document. The original text remains visible, allowing for context and traceability.

The strikethrough feature is valuable in numerous scenarios. During collaborative document reviews, it suggests text removal, enabling reviewers to easily identify proposed changes. It also highlights incorrect or outdated information, clearly marking the text that needs to be disregarded or replaced. Moreover, it indicates revisions while preserving the original text, useful for tracking changes and maintaining a record of modifications.

The strikethrough method has its roots in traditional manuscript editing and proofreading. Before the digital age, editors would physically draw lines through text to indicate deletions. This practice has been seamlessly integrated into digital document editing, offering a familiar and efficient way to manage content modifications.

How to Cross Out Text in Adobe Acrobat (Desktop)

Adobe Acrobat offers multiple ways to strikethrough text, catering to different user preferences and workflows. Both methods achieve the same result but utilize distinct toolsets within the application. Understanding both approaches will provide you with greater flexibility in your PDF editing tasks.

Using the Select Text Tool

1. Open your PDF document in Adobe Acrobat.
2. Select the "Select Text" tool from the toolbar. This tool is usually represented by an icon of an "I-beam" cursor.
3. Highlight the text you want to cross out by clicking and dragging the cursor over it. The selected text will be highlighted.
4. Choose "Strikethrough Text" from the markup toolbar that appears after selecting the text. Alternatively, right-click on the selected text and choose "Strikethrough."

Using the Markup Tool

1. Open your PDF document in Adobe Acrobat.
2. Select the "Highlight text tool" from the Quick actions toolbar.
3. Expand the Highlight tool menu and select the "Strikethrough text" tool
4. Drag the cursor over the desired text to apply the strikethrough. The text will be marked with a line through it.

How to Cross Out Text in Adobe Acrobat Reader (Free)

Even the free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader allows you to strikethrough text, although the functionality is slightly different. This is helpful for users who need to mark up documents but don't require the full editing capabilities of the paid version.

1. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader.
2. Select the "Comment" tool from the right-hand pane or the top toolbar.
3. Choose the "Strikethrough" tool (it may be nested under an "Annotations" icon).
4. Drag the cursor over the text you want to cross out. A strikethrough line will appear on the selected text.
5. Save the PDF to preserve your changes.

Alternative Methods for Replacing Text

In addition to strikethrough, Adobe Acrobat offers tools to directly replace text within a PDF document. These methods provide a more seamless editing experience when you want to correct or update information.

Using the "Replace Text" Comment Tool:

1. Select "Add comment" from the Quick Actions toolbar.
2. Select "Replace selected text."
3. Select the text you want to replace. The selected text will be crossed out with a callout box.
4. Double-click the crossed-out text and type the new text. The original text is replaced with your input.

Using the "Insert text" Tool:

1. Select "Add comment" from the Quick Actions toolbar.
2. Select "Insert text."
3. Click between the words/characters where you want to insert the text. A cursor will appear at the insertion point.
4. Type the new text. The text will be inserted at the selected location, shifting the existing text accordingly.

Potential Issues with Adobe Acrobat

While Adobe Acrobat is a powerful PDF editor, it has certain drawbacks that can affect user experience. These issues often revolve around cost and usability, especially for occasional users.

The high cost of a full Adobe Acrobat license can be prohibitive for individuals and small businesses. A subscription is required for ongoing access, making it an expensive solution for users with infrequent editing needs. Consider alternatives if you only occasionally need to redact information.

Finding specific tools, like the strikethrough option, can sometimes be confusing, especially for new users or in different versions of Adobe Acrobat. Users might get lost in the various toolbars and menus, leading to frustration and wasted time. Confusions often arise between the comment toolbar and the edit PDF toolbar, as features and tools are sometimes organized differently.

How to Cross Out Text in PDF Using pdfredactoronline.com (The Easy & Free Way)

pdfredactoronline.com provides a user-friendly and efficient way to cross out text in PDFs without the complexity or cost of Adobe Acrobat. Our online tool is designed for simplicity, allowing you to quickly redact sensitive information directly in your web browser.

Our tool ensures complete privacy. Everything operates directly in your web browser - your documents are never uploaded to any server, no data collection occurs, and no login or account creation is required. With its "secure by design" approach, users can redact sensitive information with confidence knowing their data never leaves their device.

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to using pdfredactoronline.com:

1. Go to pdfredactoronline.com.
2. Upload the PDF file by dragging and dropping it onto the page or selecting it from your computer.
3. Select the strikethrough tool from the toolbar. It is usually represented by an icon of a line through text.
4. Drag the cursor over the text you want to cross out. The selected text will be marked with a strikethrough line.
5. (Optional) Customize the color and appearance of the strikethrough line to suit your preferences.
6. Download the edited PDF to your computer. The changes are permanently applied to the document.

Additional Ways to Edit in Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat has various features for editing PDFs beyond just the strikethrough tool. These tools allow users to make direct changes and modifications to their documents.

Editing Text Directly

1. Select the "Edit Text" tool. This tool lets you modify existing text within the PDF.
2. Click on the text you want to edit. A text box will appear around the selected text.
3. Edit the text as needed. You can change the content, font, size, and other formatting options.

Editing Scanned PDFs

1. Select the "Scan & OCR" tool. This tool converts scanned documents into editable text.
2. Make your scanned PDF editable. This allows you to modify the text as if it were a native PDF.

Adding stamps

1. Use the stamp tool

Exporting text edits from Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat can export text edits to other file formats for integration with different applications. This feature enhances collaboration and data sharing.

• To Microsoft Word (Windows only, requires PDFMaker). This allows you to transfer the text content to a Word document for further editing.
• To Autodesk AutoCAD (Windows only, requires PDFMaker). This enables you to export text to AutoCAD for use in CAD drawings.

Removing a Strikethrough in PDF

Sometimes, you may need to remove a strikethrough annotation from a PDF document. The process for removing a strikethrough differs slightly depending on the tool you're using.

• Adobe Acrobat: Select the strikethrough annotation and press the "Delete" key. Alternatively, right-click on the annotation and choose "Delete."
• PDF Redactor Online: Select the strikethrough annotation by clicking on it. A bounding box will appear around the annotation. Press the "Delete" key or find and click on a delete or remove button. The strikethrough will be removed from the document.

Important Considerations When Scanning Documents

When scanning paper documents, it's important to consider how handwritten strikethroughs will be handled. Scanned images of documents with handwritten strikethroughs may not be recognized as text, making it difficult to edit the text digitally.

When you scan a paper document with handwritten strikethroughs, the scanner captures the strikethroughs as part of the image. The strikethroughs become embedded in the image and cannot be easily removed or edited.

It is generally best to add strikethroughs after the scan, rather than the other way around. Scan the document first, then use a PDF editor like pdfredactoronline.com to digitally add the strikethroughs. This ensures that the text remains editable and the strikethroughs can be easily modified or removed if needed.

Other Editing and Collaboration Features in Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat offers a range of other editing and collaboration features to enhance document workflows.

• Adding comments.
• Highlighting. See how to redact text for similar actions.
• Underlining.
• Adding stamps.
• Approval workflows.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are several methods for crossing out text in PDFs, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Adobe Acrobat offers powerful editing capabilities but can be expensive and complex for occasional users.

pdfredactoronline.com provides an accessible and cost-effective alternative for users who need to quickly and easily redact text in PDFs. With its user-friendly interface and secure, browser-based operation, pdfredactoronline.com offers a convenient solution for protecting sensitive information.

We encourage you to try pdfredactoronline.com for your PDF editing needs. Experience the simplicity and efficiency of our online tool and see how easy it is to redact text in your PDF documents. You will not be dissapointed.