PDF Canvas help and export checklist
A short checklist for using the editor carefully and checking the file you download.
Before editing
- Keep the original PDF and start with a non-confidential sample when testing a new workflow.
- Wait for the document and page preview to load before adding changes.
- Check that you have selected the intended page.
- Do not assume a document will be recovered after a refresh or closed tab. Save your output before leaving the editor.
After downloading
- Find the exported file in your browser's download list.
- Open that file—not an older copy with a similar name—in a separate PDF reader.
- Confirm the page count and inspect each edited page.
- Check added text, signatures, images, drawings and highlights.
- Inspect the print preview if the file will be printed.
- Keep the original until the edited copy has been checked.
My downloaded PDF does not show a change
First check that you opened the newest exported file and the right page. Reopen the original in PDF Canvas and try a single obvious annotation on a sample document. Download again and compare the result in a separate reader. Record the browser, steps and any visible error before investigating further.
Can I rewrite the text already in the PDF?
The guides here describe adding new text annotations. They do not establish that the editor can rewrite the PDF's original text. See the text guide for that distinction.
Is the signature feature a digital signing service?
The feature described here creates a visual signature image. It should not be presented as a certificate-based signing or identity-verification service. See the signature guide.
Can drawing over text remove it securely?
No such guarantee is made here. Do not use overlays or drawings as secure redaction. Use a workflow specifically designed to remove the underlying confidential content.
What happens to my files?
This guide is not a privacy policy and does not make claims about document transmission, browser storage, analytics or retention. Review the site's published privacy information, if available, before using confidential material.