Preview is the built-in Mac app that opens most PDFs, and it can handle many everyday PDF edits: text boxes, highlights, shapes, signatures, form fields, page order, merging, and file-size reduction.
This guide applies to recent macOS versions using Preview.
Does This Affect You?
Use Preview when you need to fill out, sign, mark up, combine, or lightly edit a PDF without buying a separate PDF editor.
Mark Up a PDF
- Open the PDF in Preview. If another app opens it, right-click and choose Open With > Preview.
- Click the Markup toolbar button.
- Use the text tool to place a text box and type.
- Select existing text and use highlight or underline tools if the PDF has selectable text.
- Use shape tools for rectangles, circles, lines, and arrows.
- Save with Command + S, or use Export to keep the original unchanged.
Add a Signature
- Open the Markup toolbar and click the signature icon.
- Choose Create Signature.
- Capture it with the trackpad, camera, or nearby iPhone if available.
- Save the signature.
- Insert it from the signature menu, then drag and resize it on the PDF.
- Save the document.
More PDF Tasks in Preview
Merge PDFs
Show thumbnails, then drag another PDF into the thumbnail sidebar where you want it inserted. Use Export as PDF to save the combined file.
Fill Real Form Fields
If the PDF includes form fields, Preview usually lets you click and type directly without adding text boxes manually.
Reorder or Delete Pages
Show thumbnails, drag pages into a new order, or select a page and press Delete. Save afterward.
Reduce File Size
Use File > Export and choose the Reduce File Size Quartz Filter. It can shrink image-heavy PDFs, though image quality may drop.
Sources
- Apple Support: Edit PDFs in Preview on Mac
- Apple Support: Sign documents using Preview on Mac
- Apple Support: Combine PDFs using Preview on Mac