PDF editor for Linux

A complete PDF editor that runs on Linux.

Edit the text and images on the page, annotate, fill forms, redact, run OCR, and add digital signatures — all on your own machine. Free, open source, and built for the Linux desktop, on both Wayland and X11.

Install for Linux Try it in your browser

Free and open source (Apache-2.0). No account. Nothing is uploaded.

Most PDF tools on Linux stop at viewing

Plenty of Linux apps open a PDF, and some let you scribble a highlight. Far fewer let you change what is actually on the page, fill a form and keep it, redact so the data is gone, or sign in a way another program will verify. DartPDF does the whole job.

Edit text and images on the page

Change existing words, re-flow a paragraph, or drop in an image — not just overlay a note.

Included

Fill forms and save them

Text fields, checkboxes, radio buttons, and dropdowns — or add your own fields.

Included

True redaction

Covered text and images are removed from the file, not just painted over.

Included

Digital signatures

Certificate-backed PAdES signatures, plus keyless signing — alongside simple drawn signatures.

Included

OCR for scanned PDFs

Recognise text on scans so it can be selected and searched — on device.

Included

Organise pages

Reorder, delete, and export pages to a new file; compare two versions side by side.

Included

Built for the Linux desktop

Wayland & X11

Prefers Wayland, falls back to X11 automatically. Native GTK window, correct app icon and window class.

Opens from your file manager

Registers as a PDF handler, so it shows up under “Open With”, and accepts drag-and-drop and command-line files.

Sandbox-friendly

The Flatpak build uses XDG portals for file access — no blanket home-folder permission.

Keyring-optional

Signing identities use your keyring when present, and degrade gracefully when there isn’t one.

Fully local

Editing, OCR, and signing run on your machine. Your documents never leave it.

Open source

Apache-2.0 licensed. Read the code, build it yourself, or package it for your distro.

Install on Linux

The AppImage and the portable tarball run on any modern 64-bit distribution today. Flathub and the AUR are on the way — this page will link them the moment they are live.

AppImage

Available now

One file, no install. Make it executable and run it.

chmod +x dartpdf-linux-x86_64.AppImage
./dartpdf-linux-x86_64.AppImage

Download the AppImage →

Portable tarball

Available now

Unpack anywhere and run the binary. Good for scripts and servers.

tar xzf dartpdf-linux-x64.tar.gz
./dart_pdf_editor_app

Download the tarball →

Flathub

Coming soon

The recommended way to install, with automatic updates and sandboxing.

flatpak install flathub dev.milanko.dartpdf

Get the release in the meantime →

Arch Linux (AUR)

Coming soon

Install dartpdf-bin with your favourite AUR helper.

paru -S dartpdf-bin   # or: yay -S dartpdf-bin

Get the release in the meantime →

Questions

Is there a free PDF editor for Linux?

Yes — DartPDF is free and open source (Apache-2.0). It edits text and images, annotates, fills forms, redacts, runs OCR, and adds digital signatures, entirely on your device.

Does it work on Wayland and X11?

Yes. DartPDF prefers Wayland and falls back to X11 automatically, so it works on GNOME, KDE Plasma, and other desktops out of the box.

Are my documents uploaded anywhere?

No. Editing, OCR, and signing run locally. Network access is used only for optional certificate services (timestamps and revocation checks) and to check for updates — never for your document content.

Can I edit the actual text in a PDF, not just annotate?

Yes. You can change the words already on the page, re-flow a paragraph, and add or replace images — in addition to highlights, notes, shapes, and freehand ink.

Do digital signatures actually verify?

DartPDF produces certificate-backed PAdES signatures (and supports keyless signing). It validates the cryptographic result, but does not issue certificates or assert that a signer is trusted by any particular authority.