Why Is There a Box around My Text in PDF?

There are multiple causes why there is a box around your text in your PDF document. It can be a mark or an annotation such as a rectangular shape, but mostly just a colored text box outline. In the former case, you can easily remove the box around the text in the PDF by selecting it in the top PDF editor. However, for a textbox, you can't perform the deletion, which will remove the text.

You should go to access the formatting options and find the box settings. Then, set the box appearance to "none", "transparent", or the same color as the PDF background. Now, start to learn how to get rid of text box outlines in a PDF using four simple ways.

How to Remove Box around Text in PDF with SwifDoo PDF

Speaking of how to remove the box around text in PDF, SwifDoo PDF sorts the problem out. This lighter software for Windows and Mac enables you to add and edit text boxes in a PDF without any fuss. It also lets you modify images, hyperlinks, and other content. You can even handle a scanned PDF using whiteout or blackout to cover and hide the text boxes in your PDF.

Here is a walkthrough of how to remove the box around text in a PDF using SwifDoo PDF.

Step 1: Click Open in SwifDoo PDF to select and open your PDF file;

Step 2: Choose Annotate > Text Box to enable all the editable textboxes, and right-click on a box to choose Properties;

Step 3: Click the Border Color option to select and change the border color;

Step 4: Remove the border box from the text in the PDF by setting the color to the page background color, such as white;

Step 5: Save the PDF without a text box around the text.

How to Remove Border from Text Box in PDF Using Adobe Reader

Adobe Reader allows you to remove the box around text in PDF in a similar way to SwifDoo PDF. The free version of Acrobat software offers PDF viewing, annotating, printing, and signing features. It lets you add additional text, comments, and drawings. However, if you need to change the font size in the PDF text box, a pro version is required.

Let’s see how to remove a text box from a PDF in Adobe Reader.

Step 1: Right-click on the outline of a text box you want to remove in the PDF once you’ve opened it in Adobe;

Step 2: Select Properties in the context menu. Or, directly press Ctrl + E to activate the property window and select the box;

Step 3: Remove the box around the text in the PDF by altering the border color to match your PDF color.

If no PDF reader but only Adobe Acrobat shows a border box around a large area of text, consider it a printing mark. Someone may have added bleeds, trim lines, or crop marks to your PDF. Trying to edit the file is not working. Go to Edit > Preferences to select Page Display > Page Content and Information. Then, show and uncheck the art, trim, & bleed box options to remove the crop marks in the PDF.

Remove Box around Text in PDF in Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge provides a way to remove the box around text in PDF when the issue drives you crazy. While the browser cannot deal with the existing text, it recognizes the text box layer. It allows you to move the box, adjust the box color, and delete the entire text field. It is one of the best PDF drawing tools and can erase the lines you drew.

Follow the guide to remove the text box outline in your PDF in Edge.

Step 1: Launch the MS Edge web browser and drop your PDF into it;

Step 2: When the PDF is opened, click the text around by box and click anywhere else;

Step 3: The box border disappears, and then save or print the edited PDF.

How to Remove Text Box in PDF in Scribus

When you are stuck on how to remove the box around text in a PDF, another way to approach the issue is to use Scribus. The desktop application is free and open-source, primarily designed for desktop publishing, and supports the creation of PDF files. It allows you to hide and remove the border of a PDF text field by configuring the border color to none.

Step 1: Open the right-click menu over the box around the text you wish to remove in your PDF;

Step 2: Select PDF Options > Field Properties to bring up the options window;

Step 3: Under the Appearance tab, click the Color drop-down button in the Border section to select None;

Step 4: Hit OK to confirm and delete the text box in the Adobe PDF;

Step 5: Export the PDF to open without the box showing anymore.

Conclusion

Are you looking to remove a square box in a PDF to make a borderless PDF text field but can't figure out how to achieve it? This article might be helpful. Here, we break down four tested, proven, and practical solutions. Also, you can utilize dedicated PDF editing tools, such as SwifDoo PDF and Adobe Acrobat, to veil the box lines with page color.