Occasionally, EditorNinja gets requests to edit a webpage that someone doesn’t control. This could be a case study on someone else’s website or it could be something like a report card (note: we’re not saying this is ok. In fact, it’s not ok. But it’s a request we get).
Years ago, I learned the trick to editing a webpage that I don’t own, and so here are the steps you can follow to do the same. This will let you edit the content on a webpage without having to edit an image in something like Canva or Photoshop.
NOTE AND OBLIGATORY DISCLAIMER: there are many ways to use this knowledge. We only condone using it for legitimate and/or funny reasons. We do not condone and are not responsible for people using this for nefarious or illegal means.
Step 1: Load the Page
First things first, load the page in your browser. Let’s say I want to edit this Google search result page:

Step 2: Right-click on the text
I want to edit the “Google Help” result that is currently titled “How to increase SEARCH IMPRESSION SHARE?” The ALL-CAPS irritates me, so I want to make those words title case.
So, I right-click the text to show the menu of options:

Step 3: Select “Inspect”
Now select the option called “Inspect,” which is below LastPass (a password manager) and above “Speech” in my menu. Yours may look slightly different, but Inspect will be there.
This now opens the page’s code on the right side (your browser may be set to open at the bottom, in which case yours will be at the bottom):

Step 4: Right-click the code
Next, I’ll right-click the highlighted code. In this example, it’s the H3 with a randomized class.

Step 5: Select “Edit Text” or “Edit as HTML”
Next, select the way you’d like to edit the text. I have some coding knowledge, so I like to select “Edit as HTML,” but if you don’t and code is confusing to you, you can simply select “Edit Text” and you’ll only be able to edit the text. Note: you must click on the text, not any code, to have the “Edit Text” option.
Here is how it looks once I select “Edit Text”:

Step 6: Edit the text
Now I’ll edit the text.

Step 7: Click outside the code
Once the text is edited, click outside of the code and the changes will save. Note: if you refresh the page, your changes will be undone.
Here’s how the example looks now:

Have Fun with It!
This trick to edit a webpage you do not own is wildly useful and can also be a lot of fun. Imagine adding a friend’s photo to a funny page or showing yourself as the King of Bhutan for the sake of a presentation.
I personally use this for making visuals for a product team or someone who will be implementing something for me on my site. Because I also have some code knowledge, I’ll sometimes use it to prototype something visually so I can see how I want it to look before I actually build or change the page layout itself.
Note: do not use this for anything illegal. It is not technically fraud or illegal to edit a document in this way, but it IS fraud and illegal to edit a document, like a bank statement, and then use that altered document to procure a loan or similar. You can get in big legal trouble, so don’t do it.