The simplest way to edit a PDF on your Mac

You can edit a PDF directly on your Mac using the Preview app, which comes built in. Open the PDF in Preview, click the markup toolbar button (it looks like a pen tip in a circle), and you can add text, draw, highlight, or sign the document. When you finish, save the file — Preview will keep it as a PDF by default.

This works for most common edits: filling in forms, adding notes, crossing out text, or inserting your signature. If you need to rearrange pages, delete sections, or make changes to the actual text content (not just mark it up), you will need a different tool. But for quick fixes and annotations, Preview handles the job without paying for software or learning a new interface.

Key Takeaways

  • Preview, which is already on your Mac, can add text boxes, drawings, highlights, and signatures to any PDF without opening a separate program.
  • The markup toolbar appears when you click the pen-tip icon in the top toolbar, and each tool has its own button for text, shapes, signatures, and more.
  • Saving in Preview keeps your changes in the PDF format unless you choose otherwise, so the file stays compatible with other devices and programs.
  • If you need to delete pages, rearrange them, or edit the actual text content rather than mark it up, Preview cannot do that work — you will need a paid PDF editor or a different approach.

Opening a PDF in Preview and finding the markup tools

Right-click the PDF file on your Mac and select "Open With," then choose Preview from the list. If Preview is already your default PDF opener, just double-click the file. Once the PDF is open, look at the top toolbar for a button that looks like a pen tip inside a circle — that is the markup toolbar button. Click it, and a row of editing tools will appear below the main toolbar.

The markup toolbar stays visible as long as you are editing. If it disappears, click the pen-tip button again to bring it back. The tools from left to right are: sketch (freehand drawing), magnifying glass (zoom), text box, signature, and shapes. Each one has a small arrow next to it that opens more options — for example, clicking the arrow next to shapes lets you choose between rectangles, circles, lines, and arrows.

Adding text and filling out forms

Click the text box tool (it looks like a capital A) in the markup toolbar. Your cursor will change to a crosshair. Click and drag on the PDF to create a text box wherever you want to add words. Type your text, and it will appear in the box. You can click inside the box again to edit what you wrote, or click outside it to finish.

To change the text size, color, or font, right-click the text box and select "Style" from the menu. A panel will open on the right side of your screen with options for font, size, and color. Make your changes and click outside the box to explore them. If you need to move the text box, click it once to select it (you will see a blue border), then drag it to a new spot.

For PDF forms with blank fields, the text box tool works, but Preview also recognizes some form fields automatically. If the form has interactive fields, you can click directly into them and type without creating a text box first. Try clicking on a blank line in the form — if it activates, you can type there. If nothing happens, use the text box tool instead.

Highlighting, drawing, and marking up text

To highlight text, click the sketch tool (the pen icon) in the markup toolbar. A color picker will appear. Choose a highlight color — yellow is the default, but you can pick any color by clicking the colored circle. Your cursor will change to a marker. Click and drag across the text you want to highlight. The highlight will appear as a semi-transparent color over the words.

If you want to draw freehand instead of highlighting, use the sketch tool the same way but draw directly on the PDF rather than over text. To draw straight lines or shapes, click the arrow next to the shapes tool and select the shape you want. Click and drag on the PDF to create it. You can change the color of any drawing or shape by selecting it and using the color picker in the toolbar.

To cross out text or add a strikethrough, draw a line through the words with the sketch tool, or use the line shape tool to draw a straight line over the text. There is no automatic strikethrough button, so this is the workaround Preview offers.

Adding and inserting your signature

Click the signature tool (it looks like a cursive line) in the markup toolbar. A small window will open asking you to create or choose a signature. If this is your first time, you will see "Click here to create a signature." Click that area, and your Mac will open the camera on your MacBook or use your trackpad to capture your signature.

If you have a trackpad, swipe your finger across it to draw your signature in the window. If you have a camera, hold up a piece of paper with your signature written on it and let the camera capture it. Once you have created a signature, it will be saved and you can use it again on any PDF without recreating it.

After you create or select a signature, your cursor will change to a crosshair. Click and drag on the PDF where you want the signature to appear. The signature will be inserted at that spot. You can resize it by clicking and dragging the corners of the signature box, or move it by dragging the center. Click outside the signature to finish.

Saving your edited PDF

Once you have finished editing, press Command+S or go to File menu and select "Save." A dialog box will appear. By default, Preview will save the file with the same name and in the same location, keeping it as a PDF. If you want to save it with a different name or in a different folder, change the filename or navigate to a new folder before clicking Save.

If you want to save a copy and keep the original unchanged, use "Save As" instead. Go to File menu, select "Save As," give the file a new name, and click Save. This creates a second PDF with your edits while leaving the original file untouched.

Preview saves changes directly to the PDF format, so the file will open in Preview, Adobe Reader, web browsers, and most other programs without any conversion needed. If you need to convert the PDF to a different format like Word or image files, Preview cannot do that — you would need a different tool.

What Preview cannot do, and when to use a different tool

Preview is limited to marking up and annotating PDFs. It cannot delete pages, rearrange page order, extract pages into a new document, or edit the actual text content that was part of the original PDF. If the PDF contains text that was scanned from a paper document (an image of text), Preview cannot edit that text either — you would need optical character recognition software.

If you need to do any of those tasks, you have a few options. Paid PDF editors like Adobe Acrobat Pro, PDFtk, or Coherent PDF can handle page deletion, rearrangement, and text editing. Some free online PDF tools can delete or rearrange pages, though uploading sensitive documents to a website carries privacy risks. For scanned documents, you would need OCR software to convert the image to editable text first.

For most everyday work — signing documents, filling forms, adding notes, or highlighting sections — Preview is enough. It is already on your Mac, requires no learning curve, and keeps your files in standard PDF format that works everywhere.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I undo changes I made in Preview?

Yes. Press Command+Z to undo your last action, or press it multiple times to undo several changes in reverse order. You can also go to Edit menu and select "Undo" if you prefer the menu. Undo works until you close the file — once you save and close the PDF, you cannot undo changes from a previous session.

How do I delete something I added to the PDF?

Click the item you want to remove (a text box, drawing, highlight, or signature) so it is selected and shows a blue border. Press Delete or Backspace on your keyboard. The item will disappear. If you deleted something by mistake, press Command+Z when ready to undo.

Can I edit text that was already in the PDF when I opened it?

No. Preview can only add new text in text boxes — it cannot change or delete text that was part of the original PDF. If you need to edit existing text, you need a full PDF editor like Adobe Acrobat Pro. You can highlight or draw over existing text to mark it, but you cannot remove or rewrite it.

What happens if I open the same PDF in Preview on two different Macs?

Each Mac will have its own copy of the file. Changes you make on one Mac will not appear on the other unless you save your version and transfer the file. If two people edit the same PDF at the same time on different computers and both save, the second person to save will overwrite the first person's changes.

Can I password-protect a PDF after I edit it in Preview?

Preview cannot add password protection. You would need to use a paid PDF editor, or export the PDF to a different format and then protect it. Some online tools can add password protection to a PDF, but uploading sensitive documents to a website carries privacy risks.