What is the best pdf editor for Windows 11/10 offline?

If you are not afraid of using the command line, you can actually use some tools to implement simple PDF editing. Although it cannot be operated visually like a graphical interface, it is very efficient for batch processing, merging, splitting, and watermarking. I also use this method to process a large number of documents. Here are some ways to use PDF editor for Windows 11 in the command line。

 Method 1: Use pdftk (lightweight, classic)
pdftk is a classic command line tool that supports merging, splitting, encryption and decryption. After installation, open the command line and use it like this:

Merge PDF:

bash
pdftk file1.pdf file2.pdf cat output merged.pdf

Split PDF:

bash
pdftk file.pdf burst

I use it to batch merge dozens of PDFs, which is super convenient. It is one of the first choices for lightweight PDF editor for Windows 11.

 Method 2: Use qspdf (powerful and flexible)
qspdf has more functions than pdftk, supporting password modification, page number extraction, order adjustment, etc.

Remove PDF password:

bash
qspdf --decrypt locked.pdf unlocked.pdf

Keep only pages 1-3:

bash
qspdf input.pdf --pages . 1-3 -- output.pdf

This is suitable for you to precisely control the PDF content, and is very suitable as a PDF editor for Windows 11 in the command line.

I think, these tools can be used as efficient PDF editors for Windows 11 in the command line, especially for batch processing or automation scenarios. Although it is not a drag-and-drop operation, the processing efficiency is really first-class.