How to Edit a PDF on Mac: Complete Guide to Editing PDFs Easily
Mac users have a bunch of solid options for editing PDFs without shelling out for pricey third-party software.
You can edit PDFs on Mac using the built-in Preview app for basic annotations and text additions, or choose from dedicated PDF editing applications and online tools for more advanced modifications.
The Preview app comes pre-installed on every Mac and is honestly enough for most common PDF tweaks—highlighting, adding comments, tossing in some text, or cropping images.
If you need more—like full text editing, rearranging pages, or building forms—dedicated PDF editing software and online services step in.
Whether you’re just looking to fill out a form, add signatures, or go all out and restructure a document, Mac offers both free and paid routes.
The right choice? Honestly, it depends on how complex your edits are and how often you’re wrangling PDFs.
Key Takeaways
- Mac’s built-in Preview app gives you free, basic PDF editing—think annotations, highlighting, and adding new text.
- For advanced editing, you’ll want dedicated apps or online tools that handle deep text changes and page management.
- There are tons of editing methods, from quick browser tools to full-blown desktop apps. Pick whatever matches your needs.
Quick Start: Editing PDFs on Mac for Free
Your Mac already has built-in tools for most basic PDF edits. No need to download anything extra.
Preview is the main editing app, but Quick Look lets you scribble quick annotations right from Finder.
Using Preview App for Basic Edits
Preview is the best free PDF editor for Mac—it’s already on your system.
To edit a PDF on Mac with Preview, just double-click your PDF and it’ll pop open.
Hit the pencil icon or use ⌘ + Shift + A to bring up the markup toolbar.
Here’s what you get:
- Text tool (T): Drop text boxes anywhere you want.
- Highlight tool: Mark up important bits in yellow or whatever color you like.
- Shape tools: Add arrows, rectangles, circles—whatever you need.
- Signature tool: Draw or insert your signature.
- Note tool: Stick on comments or reminders.
You can sometimes edit text directly—just select and type over it if the PDF allows.
Zoom in with the magnifying glass for fiddly edits.
When you’re done, hit ⌘ + S and your changes are saved.
Preview can also handle pages: delete them by selecting thumbnails and pressing Delete, or rearrange by dragging pages around in the sidebar.
Editing with Quick Look
Quick Look is handy for super-fast PDF annotations.
Select your PDF in Finder and hit the spacebar to open it.
Tap the pencil icon to get basic markup tools—add signatures, text, or shapes right there.
It’s great for jotting a quick note or signing something fast.
Just know: Quick Look’s tools are simpler than Preview’s, and you can’t edit existing text or mess with formatting much.
When you’re finished, click Done and the changes stick to your file.
Limitations of Built-In Tools
Preview and Quick Look are solid, but they’re not miracle workers.
You can’t edit complex layouts, move big text blocks, or really mess with embedded images.
Preview doesn’t do OCR, so if your PDF is a scan, you’re out of luck for editing the text.
Want to make fillable forms or lock down your PDF with advanced security? Not happening here.
Password-protected PDFs often won’t budge in Preview.
And, if your file’s huge—say over 50MB—Preview might lag or get cranky, especially with lots of annotations.
Advanced PDF Editing: Dedicated Apps for Mac
When Preview just isn’t enough, dedicated PDF editors step in with real text editing, OCR, and pro-level tools.
These apps are built for heavier workflows and business needs, honestly.
PDFelement for Mac Overview
Wondershare PDFelement is a pretty robust PDF editing tool with a fair price tag.
It lets you tweak text, add images, and shuffle pages on macOS, iOS, and Windows.
Core Features:
- Text editing: Change fonts, sizes, and text—total control.
- OCR technology: Turn scanned docs into real, editable text.
- Form capabilities: Build interactive forms with checkboxes and fields.
- Cloud integration: 20GB storage with single-platform licenses, 100GB if you go cross-platform.
The Wondershare PDFelement interface is clean, with all the usual suspects: conversion, compression, templates.
You can redact info, lock files with passwords, or add watermarks for extra security.
Licenses are flexible—one year, two years, or lifetime. They toss in 20,000 AI tokens for analysis and summaries, too.
Getting Started with PDF Expert
PDF Expert feels right at home on Mac. It’s smooth and packs in all the editing tools you’d expect.
You’ll see a Tools tab up top for organizing, optimizing, locking, or reviewing files.
The toolbar’s got layout controls, advanced search, and even an AI Chat for summaries and analysis.
Key Editing Capabilities:
- Tweak text and images, no sweat.
- Fill forms and sign them digitally.
- Black out sensitive stuff, add links.
- Measure distances and areas if you’re into that.
PDF Expert’s pricing includes a lifetime Mac license, which is a nice break from subscriptions.
Students get 50% off, and there’s a 7-day free trial to give it a spin.
It syncs with iCloud and works across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.
Downside? No Windows or Android support, so it’s Apple or bust.
Comparing Top PDF Editors for Mac
Each PDF editor shines in its own way, depending on your workflow.
Professional users want different things than someone just making quick edits.
| Feature | PDF Expert | PDFelement | Adobe Acrobat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text Editing | Excellent | Very Good | Excellent |
| OCR Quality | High accuracy | Good accuracy | Industry standard |
| Pricing Model | Lifetime/Annual | Lifetime/Annual | Subscription only |
| Platform Support | Apple only | Cross-platform | Cross-platform |
| Cloud Storage | iCloud | 20-100GB included | Adobe Cloud |
Performance Thoughts:
- PDF Expert is the smoothest if you’re all-in on Mac.
- PDFelement is better value if you bounce between platforms.
- Adobe Acrobat has the deepest features, but it’ll cost you.
Professional PDF editing solutions often come with version comparison, batch processing, and serious security.
Think about your own needs—collaboration, file sizes, integration with your other tools—before picking.
Editing PDFs Online: Free and Paid Services
Sometimes you just want to edit a PDF fast, right in your browser.
Online PDF editors are great for that—no installs, just upload and go.
They cover everything from quick text tweaks to building forms, and you’ll find both free and paid options.
Using Online PDF Editor Tools
Browser-based PDF editors work on any Mac.
Just drag your PDF into their upload box, use the editing tools, then download the new version.
Most online PDF editor platforms let you edit text, add images, and manage pages.
Usually, it’s as simple as: upload, edit, download.
Key features of online PDF editors include:
- Text editing – Add or change content as needed.
- Image management – Insert, resize, or swap out images.
- Form filling – Fill in those annoying forms.
- Digital signatures – Sign documents right in the browser.
- Page operations – Merge, split, or rotate as you like.
Working with Free Online PDF Editors
Free online editors are handy, but they come with strings attached.
Smallpdf is straightforward and lets you edit text and images, but you’re capped at two tasks per hour unless you pay.
Sejda PDF editor gives you three tasks a day for free (under 50MB per file).
You can edit text, add content, and pop in hyperlinks—no account needed.
Most free services slap on watermarks or limit features.
PDFCandy and Document Genius are similar: good for occasional edits, but not so great if you’re editing PDFs all the time.
Popular Online PDF Platforms
Adobe Acrobat Online is the heavyweight for paid online editing.
It’s packed with tools and works smoothly with Creative Cloud.
OCR is built in, and plans start around $12.99/month.
Top online PDF platforms comparison:
| Platform | Free Tier | Paid Features | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Acrobat | Limited | Full editing suite | Professional use |
| Smallpdf | 2 tasks/hour | Unlimited usage | Quick edits |
| Sejda | 3 tasks/day | Advanced tools | Regular editing |
Zoho PDF Editor is great for teams, especially if you’re already using Zoho.
Xodo is another solid option—free for basics, with subscriptions for more features, and it’s big on collaboration.
Managing and Modifying PDF Content
Editing PDFs isn’t just about changing words.
You can shuffle pages, add markups, or even combine documents to make your PDFs way more useful.
Rearrange and Organize PDF Pages
Preview makes rearranging PDF pages pretty easy.
Just hit the View menu above the toolbar and pick Thumbnails to see all your pages in a sidebar.
Want to move a page? Drag it up or down.
To remove a page, just select the thumbnail and press delete.
Adding pages from another PDF is as simple as dragging the file from Finder into the sidebar.
It’ll merge right in.
You can even duplicate a page: hold Option while dragging a thumbnail to a new spot, and you’ll get a copy right where you want it.
Crop, Highlight, and Annotate
Preview’s markup tools give you a solid set of options for visual editing. Just click the pencil icon in the toolbar, or head to Tools > Annotate.
Available annotation tools include:
- Highlight tool for emphasizing text
- Sketch tool for freehand drawing
- Shape tools (arrows, rectangles, circles)
- Magnification tool for detailed callouts
The shapes menu? It’s not just rectangles and circles—there are speech bubbles, stars, and arrows, too. To tweak colors, select your shape and hit the thick-lined box icon to open the palette.
Line thickness is adjustable with the three-line icon. It’s quick, but you might have to poke around a bit to find your favorite combo.
Note creation lets you drop in comments by choosing Tools > Annotate > Note. These show up as yellow sticky notes that shrink into little squares when you’re not looking at them.
Adding or Redacting Text and Images
Preview’s text tools aren’t just for adding a word here or there—they can handle a surprising amount of content editing. The text selection tool (look for the “A” with a cursor bar) lets you copy PDF text using Command+C.
Creating new text boxes is easy: click the “A” icon or go to Tools > Annotate > Text. Move the text box wherever you want, and change up the font, size, or color from the “Aa” menu.
If you need check boxes, Option+V pops in a checkmark, or just copy this: √. With some PDFs, double-clicking a form field even adds checkmarks automatically.
Image insertion works by dragging image files right from Finder onto the PDF. Once the image lands, grab the blue handles to resize as needed.
For redacting sensitive info, you’ll need to cover it up with shapes or try a third-party app. Preview doesn’t have a built-in redaction tool, unfortunately.
Converting and Exporting PDFs on Mac
Preview on Mac actually has some handy conversion features for turning PDFs into editable formats like Word. You can export PDFs to images, presentations, spreadsheets—the basics are all covered.
PDF to Word Conversion
Turning a PDF into a Word file opens up way more editing options than you get with regular PDF tools. Preview keeps it simple with its export function.
Open your PDF in Preview, then pick File > Export As. Select Microsoft Word from the dropdown menu. That’ll give you a .docx file that usually keeps most of the original formatting and makes the text fully editable.
If your document’s got complicated layouts or lots of images, you might want to try a dedicated PDF conversion tool with better OCR. Those handle tables and formatting quirks more gracefully than Preview.
The converted Word doc should keep the text hierarchy and basic styles. But if you’re dealing with fancy graphics or oddball layouts, you’ll probably have to tidy things up manually afterward.
Other File Format Exports
Preview does more than just export to Word. Head over to File > Export and you’ll see a bunch of file types to pick from, depending on what you actually need.
If you’re after images, you’ve got choices like JPEG, PNG, and TIFF. Handy for when you want your PDF pages as pictures. You can fiddle with the quality and resolution, too—just depends on what you’re planning to do with them.
Presentations are covered as well. You can turn PDF slides into editable PowerPoint files. If your PDF started out as a slide deck, this usually works pretty smoothly.
There’s also an option to shrink your file size during export. Just look for the Quartz Filter and pick Reduce File Size from the dropdown. It’s not magic, but it helps keep things readable while making files small enough to email or pop onto the web.