The simplest way to edit a PDF on a Mac is built into your system

macOS comes with Preview, an app that opens PDFs by default and lets you make basic edits without buying anything. You can add text, draw, highlight, sign documents, and rotate pages. For most everyday tasks — filling in a form, marking up a document, adding your signature — Preview handles it. If you need to rearrange pages, delete them, or combine multiple PDFs into one file, Preview does that too.

The catch is that Preview's editing tools are straightforward but limited. You cannot change existing text that was already in the PDF, reflow text across pages, or edit images embedded in the document. If your work requires those features, you will need a dedicated PDF editor. But if you are signing a contract, filling in blanks, or marking up a draft, Preview is already on your Mac and ready to use.

Key Takeaways

  • Preview, which comes built into macOS, can add text, signatures, highlights, and drawings to any PDF without installing new software.
  • You can rotate, delete, or rearrange pages in Preview, and combine multiple PDFs into a single document.
  • Preview cannot edit text that already exists in the PDF or change the layout of the original document.
  • For tasks beyond marking up and signing, you will need a separate PDF editor like Adobe Acrobat, PDFtk, or a web-based tool.

Opening and marking up a PDF in Preview

Open the PDF by double-clicking it in Finder, or right-click the file, select "Open With," and choose Preview. Once the document is open, look for the Markup Toolbar — a set of drawing and annotation tools in the top right of the window. If you do not see it, click the toolbox icon (it looks like a pen tip in a circle) to show it.

The toolbar gives you several options. The text tool (marked with an "A") lets you click anywhere on the page and type new text. The signature tool opens a window where you can draw your signature with your trackpad or Magic Mouse, or use a signature you have already created. The highlighter, pen, and pencil tools let you mark up the document by hand. Click the tool you want, then click or drag on the page to use it.

After you make changes, save the file by pressing Command+S or going to File > Save. Preview will overwrite the original PDF with your edits. If you want to keep the original unchanged, go to File > Duplicate instead, edit the copy, and save that.

Rearranging, deleting, and combining pages

To work with pages, open the PDF in Preview and click the Sidebar button (it looks like two rectangles) in the top left. A panel will appear showing thumbnails of every page. You can drag pages up or down to reorder them, or right-click a page and select "Delete" to remove it.

To combine multiple PDFs into one, open the first PDF in Preview, then go to File > Open. Select the other PDFs you want to add (hold Command and click each one), and click "Open." Preview will add them to the sidebar as separate pages. Drag them into the order you want, then save the file. The result is a single PDF with all the pages combined.

You can also rotate pages by right-clicking a thumbnail and choosing "Rotate Clockwise" or "Rotate Counterclockwise." This is useful when a scanned page is sideways or upside down.

When you need more than Preview offers

Adobe Acrobat (the full version, not the free Reader) is the standard tool for serious PDF editing. It costs money but lets you edit text that already exists in the PDF, change fonts and colors, add or remove images, and reorganize complex documents. If your work involves editing PDFs regularly or making substantial changes to the content, Acrobat is worth considering.

PDFtk is a free command-line tool for Mac that handles page manipulation, merging, and splitting. It requires typing commands in Terminal rather than clicking buttons, so it is best for people comfortable with that workflow. Coherence X and Nitro PDF are middle-ground options that cost less than Acrobat but offer more features than Preview.

For one-off tasks, web-based tools like iLovePDF or Smallpdf let you upload a PDF, make edits in your browser, and read the result. These are free for basic use but have limits on file size and the number of edits you can make per day.

Adding signatures and form fields

If you need to sign a PDF, Preview's signature tool is the fastest route. Click the signature icon in the Markup Toolbar, then choose "Click to Sign" to draw your signature with your trackpad. You can also select "Trackpad" or "Camera" to capture your signature in other ways. Once you have created a signature, Preview saves it and you can reuse it on any PDF without redrawing it.

For forms with multiple blank fields, Preview lets you add text boxes one at a time using the text tool, but it does not recognize form fields the way Acrobat does. If you are filling in a form that was designed with interactive fields, Preview will still work — you just click each field and type — but you cannot create new form fields or set up validation rules. For complex forms or forms you use repeatedly, Acrobat or a free tool like LibreOffice Draw gives you more control.

Saving and exporting your edited PDF

After you finish editing in Preview, save the file with Command+S. Preview saves it as a PDF by default. If you want to export it in a different format, go to File > Export and choose from options like JPEG, PNG, or TIFF. This is useful if you need to share the document as an image or convert it for another purpose.

If you have made changes and want to undo them before saving, press Command+Z to step back through your edits. You can undo as many steps as you need. Once you save, the changes are permanent in that file — Preview does not keep a separate version history, so make sure you are happy with your edits before you save.

Troubleshooting common issues

If the Markup Toolbar does not appear, make sure you are viewing the PDF in Preview and not another app. Some PDFs open in your web browser by default. Right-click the file, select "Open With," and choose Preview. If the toolbar still does not show, click the toolbox icon in the top right corner of the Preview window.

If you cannot edit text in a PDF, that usually means the text is part of an image or the PDF was created from a scanned document. Preview cannot edit text in those cases. You would need OCR (optical character recognition) software like ABBYY FineReader or Prizmo to convert the scanned image to editable text first.

If Preview is slow or crashes when you open a very large PDF, try closing other apps to free up memory. If the problem persists, try opening the PDF in a different app like Adobe Acrobat Reader or a web-based tool.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I edit text that was already in the PDF?

No, Preview cannot change existing text. You can only add new text boxes on top of the document. To edit the original text, you need Adobe Acrobat or a similar PDF editor.

Does Preview work with password-protected PDFs?

If a PDF is password-protected, Preview will ask you for the password when you open it. Once you enter it, you can edit the document normally. If you do not know the password, you cannot open the file in Preview or any other app.

Can I undo changes after I save a PDF in Preview?

No. Once you save, the changes are permanent. If you need to keep the original, use File > Duplicate to make a copy before you edit, or save your edits under a different filename.

What is the fastest way to combine two PDFs on a Mac?

Open the first PDF in Preview, go to File > Open, select the second PDF while holding Command, click Open, and drag the pages into order in the sidebar. Then save. This takes about one minute and requires no extra software.

Can I remove pages from a PDF in Preview?

Yes. Open the PDF, click the Sidebar button to show page thumbnails, right-click the page you want to remove, and select Delete. Save the file when you are done.