Inspiring

Answered

Text-box tool gone?

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
January 26, 2024
6 replies
9842 views

Has the text-box tool that used to be in the 'Fill & Sign' panel been removed? I haven't been able to find it since the update, it's very frustrating.

I'm running the full version of Acrobat DC. I know I can go into the Edit Page tab and sometimes I'm able add text boxes, depending on how the document is formatted (but not always). But this is not what I'm wanting to do. How do I find the olod tool I was familiar with?

Correct answer Abambo

Is this the tool you are looking for?

jane-e

Community Expert

@SR wrote: “the Edit tool that allows me to add new text into a PDF form”

Thank you for clarifying that you are using Acrobat and not Acrobat Reader where you posted.

Can you please clarify one more thing:
When you say that you are adding new text into a PDF form, do you mean that you are filling out the form — or that you are editing content that is not part in a form field? I can interpret this either way, and each has a different answer.

Jane

jane-e

Community Expert

@SR wrote: How do I restore the text icon on the tools bar so I can edit my document.

You can’t edit text with Acrobat Reader, where you posted.

You can edit text with Acrobat (for desktop) or with the Premium edition of Acrobat Reader for Mobile. You’ll need to switch to one of them.

Jane

S

SR

Participant

Thanks for responding Anand.

Adobe Acrobat
Yes, the Edit tool that allows me to add new text into a PDF form, then I click on the ‘pen’ to add my e-signature into the PDF form.
Laptop windows
yes, referring to the tools shown on the screenshot.

Anand Sri Bhattacharya

Community Manager

Hello @SR

Thanks for sharing the details. Assuming you are on the latest build of Acrobat, please restart the machine once, and then reset the app preferences. Once done, restart the computer.

Try the workflow with a different set of PDFs and let us know how it goes.

Regards,

Anand Sri.

S

SR

Participant

I’m not using the app. I’m logging on to your Adobe Acrobat via my laptop.

S

SR

Participant

How do I restore the text icon on the tools bar so I can edit my document.

Anand Sri Bhattacharya

Community Manager

Hello @SR

I hope you are well, and thanks for reaching out.

Could you please share more details about your question:

Which app are they using? Adobe Acrobat/Reader.
When you say the text icon, do you mean the Edit tool for changing the words already in the PDF, or the Add Text / Fill and Sign tool for typing new text onto it?
What device are they on? A) Windows, B) Mac, C) Mobile
Are you referring to the tools shown in the screenshot?

Please ensure you have the latest version of Acrobat installed on the machine: 26.001.21691, Planned update, Jun 25, 2026. Check for any pending updates by navigating to Menu > Help> Check for Updates. Install the updates, restart the app and the machine, and try again.

We’re here to help, just need more info.

Regards,

Anand Sri.

S

SR

Participant

Adobe acrobat
Edit Tool to add text - form filling
Windows (laptop)
Yes, the tools shown on the screenshot. The Text box is missing so I can’t fill in the form.

M

MDennison

Participant

Can you have a border around a text box? You could in previous version, but I have not been able to since this last upgrade.

M

MDennison

Participant

Finally found it. Now called "Add text comment". Hope this helps.

1

1Ronegade

Participant

Sorry, but that's NOT it. The old text box allowed one to show a border around text, the text comment does not. The box around text made it easy to really highlight a comment in a document to be returned to the originator. The borderless text is much easier to miss unless one uses really obnoxious colors.

IMHO; this was a big miss by Adobe to lose that functionality.

Abambo

Correct answer

Community Expert

Is this the tool you are looking for?

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer

braydonAuthor

Inspiring

It is. Thanks you! But it is extremely weird - sometimes that button is there, sometimes it's not. Perhaps it's how the document has been saved, before I've recieved it. Eg. however the author has set the edit permissions? I encountered a bunch of documents in a row where that button just wasn't there, and started to think the function had been removed. But I checked on a documented I'd authored, and it is there. Confusing and frustrating!

Abambo

Community Expert

The new interface is full of surprises. You could test this by locking own documents and seeing how it evolves.

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer

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