Editing a PDF on the macOS environment can be done in a few clicks using the “Preview” application available natively on our Macs and MacBooks. Here we explain how to do it… and you will see that it is not rocket science.
The application “Preview» is probably one of Apple’s most underrated apps. Beyond the many types of files that it can open, this application has the merit of allowing you to edit a PDF in just a few clicks.
Failing to let us modify the existing content (for this, we must turn to third-party solutions, such as Adobe Acrobat, in particular), “Preview» allows you to very easily add a signature, annotate it, add text, sketches, drawings and other figures, or even redact certain elements that you do not wish to appear on the final render.
For many users, this solution is therefore sufficient, because it already offers an interesting range of modifications, accessible in just a few clicks. Today we explain to you how to take advantage of it.
How to edit a PDF on Mac?
- Start by opening a PDF file with the “Preview” application.
- By default, this is what macOS uses for PDFs; If this is no longer the case for you, right-click on the PDF file you want to open, then go to “Open with» to finally select “Preview» in the list that appears.
- At the top of the “Preview” application window, you can see, on the left, the icon to access the tool for highlighting elements of the PDF
- Next to it, on the right, the annotation icon allows you to open the editing tools menu
- Click on it
- You will then see the bar below appear
- Through these different icons, you can from left to right: select and copy text, select an entire area of the document to copy it, redact sentences, add sketches, drawings and figures, add text, add a signature, or add a note to the document.
Note that each change made to the PDF document can easily be removed or put back in place, using the “Command+Z” And “Shift + Command + Z“. To delete an element that you had added and which is no longer useful, it is also possible to select it by clicking on it, then remove it with “Command + delete» (the backspace key above the enter key).
Finally, saving changes to your PDF is done in two ways. By going to File > Save, or by File > Export to PDF, you will have the possibility of later retouching the modifications you made by returning to the file.
If, on the contrary, you want these modifications to be “carved in marble» and therefore impossible to modify later, go to File > Print, then select the “Save as PDF” option. A somewhat baroque way of achieving your goals, certainly, but it is effective.