How to edit a PDF "online" on your iPhone, the private way

Looking to edit a PDF online on your phone? You can skip uploading it to a website and do it right on your iPhone instead. Sheaf is an app, not a website: it edits your PDF on the phone itself, so the file never goes anywhere.

First, to be clear: Sheaf is an app, not a website

When people search for an online PDF editor, they usually want one thing: to fix a PDF quickly on their phone, without a computer. Sheaf does that, but it isn't an online tool. You install it once from the App Store, and from then on every edit happens on your iPhone. There's nothing to upload and no website to visit.

How web-based PDF editing works

A web-based editor works by uploading your file to a server, editing it there and letting you download the result. It needs a connection the whole time, and for the length of the job a copy of your document sits on a computer you don't control. For a menu or a flyer that's no concern; for an invoice, a lease or a payslip, you may prefer the file stays with you.

Why editing on your iPhone is the better fit for private files

• No upload: your invoice, contract or form never leaves your phone.
• No connection needed: it works on a plane, on the train, or with one bar of signal.
• No account: nothing to sign up for or log in to.
• Real editing: change the existing text, and edit tables so the row grows to fit, instead of only drawing on top of the page.

How to edit a PDF on your iPhone without uploading it

1. Install Sheaf from the App Store (free to download).
2. Tap Import a file, or share the PDF to Sheaf from Mail, Files or Safari.
3. Choose Edit PDF.
4. Tap a line of text and type to change it. For a table, tap the cell, tap Edit cell and type.
5. Add text, images, highlights or your signature from the tool bar if you need to.
6. Tap Save, then Save to Files or Share to send it where it needs to go.

Want the full walkthrough? See how to edit a PDF on iPhone and how to edit a PDF table on iPhone.

Honest limits

• Sheaf is for iPhone. If you need to edit on a computer too, you'll want a desktop tool for that part.
• Tables drawn with visible grid lines work best, because the lines are how Sheaf finds rows and columns.
• Editing changes what the page shows. To remove sensitive information from the file for good, use Redact (Pro).
• You need the app installed first, which takes a minute on the App Store. After that, no connection is needed.

What's free

Editing is free. You can save 3 files a day for free by watching one short ad each, on files up to 15 pages or 10 MB. Any other file is $0.99, or Pro removes ads and limits. Files you save never get a watermark.