How to edit PDFs on a Mac using Preview & third-party apps

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Editing PDFs on a Mac is simple, thanks to the built-in tools in macOS and various third-party apps. Here's how to get started, whether you're making quick annotations or detailed modifications.

Preview app icon featuring a coastal scene with rocks and waves, overlaid by a magnifying glass on a blue background.
macOS PDF editor, Preview



PDF is a universally accepted document format because it preserves layout and content across different devices and platforms. However, PDFs can be difficult to modify without the right tools.

Article about Apple data center in Iowa opening, featuring a photo of the Apple logo on a building against a clear sky.
Preview's toolbar for Markup



Fortunately, Mac users have several options for PDF editing-- from simple, built-in tools like Preview to more advanced third-party apps.

Using Preview



Preview is macOS's default PDF viewer, and it can do more than just view documents. It's packed with editing tools for managing PDFs, from making quick annotations to organizing pages.

Annotations and Markups


  1. Highlight, underline, or strikethrough text in Preview by clicking the toolbar's Highlight button (pen icon).

  2. Add shapes or notes by selecting Tools, Annotate, Shapes from the top menu. Click and drag these shapes anywhere in the document.

  3. To add comments, use the Note tool from the same menu.

Adding Text



While you can't edit the existing text in a PDF using Preview, you can add new text.


  1. Open your PDF in Preview, click the Markup Toolbar button.

  2. Then, click the Text tool. A text box will appear, which you can move and resize.

  3. Type the content you want to add, and you can further customize the text.

Screenshot showing a headline about an Apple data center opening in Iowa, with a small profile picture of a person named William Gallagher.
Adding text
Signing Text



Preview allows you to sign a PDF directly within the app:


  1. Open the PDF in Preview.

  2. Click the Markup Toolbar button, and then click the Sign icon.

  3. You can create a signature using your Mac's trackpad or a photo of your signature.

  4. Once saved, click it to add it to the document, then drag and resize it as needed.

Article about Iowa's Apple data center opening, featuring a photo of a large Apple logo sign against a clear blue sky.
Signing the PDF
Managing Pages



Preview offers simple tools for managing and organizing PDF pages:


  1. Reorder pages: Open the PDF, click the Sidebar button, and drag and drop the page thumbnails to reorder them.

  2. Delete pages: Select the page thumbnail in the sidebar, right-click (or control-click), and choose Delete.

  3. Merge PDFs: Open the first PDF in Preview, drag additional PDF files into the sidebar, and place them anywhere in the sequence.

Apple data center entrance sign in Waukee, Iowa, displaying the Apple logo and number 2995, set against a clear sky and grassy area.
The sidebar for pages
Using QuickLook for fast annotations



Quick Look is another built-in macOS feature that lets you view and make fundamental changes directly from Finder. The feature helps make quick annotations without fully opening a PDF editor.

Article about Apple's new data center in Waukee, Iowa, featuring a large white Apple sign with 'Waukee 2995' beside fencing and grass.
Quick editing with Quick Look

  1. Select a PDF file in Finder.

  2. Press Spacebar.

  3. Click Markup to access annotation tools like highlights, text, and shapes.

Third-party alternatives



For more advanced PDF editing beyond the capabilities of Preview, several third-party alternatives provide enhanced features. Adobe Acrobat Pro is a widely used choice, offering text editing, image addition, and the creation of fillable forms.

Adobe Acrobat Pro also includes tools for redacting sensitive information and applying watermarks. Another option is Nitro PDF Pro, which provides text and image editing, document conversion, and collaboration features.

Both applications are ideal for users who require greater control over their PDFs. While other tools, such as Google Docs, offer convenient online PDF editing, they may encounter challenges with complex formatting.

Mac users have a range of options for editing PDFs. Preview and Quick Look are quick, free, and easily accessible for basic tasks like annotations and signatures.

For more complex tasks such as editing text or working with forms, third-party tools like Adobe Acrobat and Nitro PDF Pro offer the professional features you require. Whether you need to edit a PDF for personal or professional use, there's a solution that will meet your needs.



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    gadgetcanadav2gadgetcanadav2 Posts: 699member
    I use Wondershare PDFelement on Mac. It's fantastic as a pdf editor if you want to create fillable forms. I use Preview for filling in the forms as it's fast and efficient.
    appleinsideruser
     0Likes 0Dislikes 1Informative
  • Reply 2 of 8
    charles1charles1 Posts: 95member
    Preview ProTip: you can open two documents on screen side by side, open up the thumbnail sidebars, and move pages from one document sidebar to another. Modifier keys apply, e.g Command-drag to move rather than copy. The sidebars are very useful and have many undiscoverable functions.
    appleinsideruserjeffharris
     2Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 3 of 8
    Xedxed Posts: 3,114member
    Preview has been an amazing, built-in app for macOS for decades, but I feel like each new major release adds some bugs that never get fixed. I still use it daily but I wish Apple would take some time to fix all the little issues it has and maybe upgrade it to be smarter. For  example, you can long press an item in Photos on iOS to quick crop and lift a subject out of the photo, but you can't do that with Preview right now — instead you need to use the archaic Smart Lasso, which isn't very smart.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 4 of 8
    mikethemartianmikethemartian Posts: 1,615member
    I used to really like Acrobat but Adobe has ruined it. With the subscription model not only do you have to pay annually for it but they keep changing it which adversely impacts your work flow. As an example there is a discussion on their user forum that has been going on for a few years now about “where are the scroll bars?”.
    jeffharris
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 5 of 8
    jeffharrisjeffharris Posts: 892member
    I finally pulled the plug on Acrobat Pro and Illustrator. I actually looked at the yearly charge and couldn’t believe it!
    I got the basic Photoshop Photography bundle for $10 a month. 
    PDF Expert to replace Acrobat and Affinity Designer to replace Illustrator.

    Been using PDF Expert for a while, which is quite good, not perfect, but the price is much lower than Acrobat. 
    It doesn’t have some of the annoying bugs that Adobe never bothers to address.

    I use Preview a lot. It’s quick and easy to use.
    Covering things with filled boxes. Adding text blocks.
    Assembling things like books of specs for renovation projects. 
    Adding signatures, I use .gifs with blank backgrounds.

    A trick I discovered for pasting .gifs. 
    Open the .gif. Copy and Paste into the same .gif file. 
    Then Cut and Paste into the PDF document. Weird, but it works.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 6 of 8
    saareksaarek Posts: 1,612member
    Does anyone know of an app, preferably with a lifetime licence under £50/free that will highlight the same instance of a specific word in a colour on a PDF? 

    I’d hoped that Preview would have this seemingly simple feature, but it doesn’t.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 7 of 8
    Xedxed Posts: 3,114member
    saarek said:
    Does anyone know of an app, preferably with a lifetime licence under £50/free that will highlight the same instance of a specific word in a colour on a PDF? 

    I’d hoped that Preview would have this seemingly simple feature, but it doesn’t.
    If I'm understanding your comment correctly, Preview does that very thing.

    edited April 6
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 8 of 8
    saareksaarek Posts: 1,612member
    Xed said:
    saarek said:
    Does anyone know of an app, preferably with a lifetime licence under £50/free that will highlight the same instance of a specific word in a colour on a PDF? 

    I’d hoped that Preview would have this seemingly simple feature, but it doesn’t.
    If I'm understanding your comment correctly, Preview does that very thing.

    I run swimming meets. On occasion I need to highlight the same word up to 300+ times.

    So, I need the equivalent of “highlight all” of a specific word. I could never work out how to do that with Preview, but I’d be very happy if it can!
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
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