Good news: your Mac already has a surprisingly powerful PDF editor built in — Preview. For most tasks (annotating, filling forms, signing, adding text), you don't need to buy anything. For heavier editing (changing existing text, converting formats), a few free and paid tools fill the gap. This guide covers how to edit a PDF on Mac, the best PDF editors for MacBook, and which tool to use for each task.
- For most edits (annotate, fill, sign, add text, merge pages): use Preview — it's free and already on your Mac.
- To modify existing text in a PDF: you need Adobe Acrobat Pro or PDF Expert.
- Below: what Preview can do, the best paid and free alternatives, and which tool to use for each task.
What You Can Do with Preview (Free, Built-in)
Preview is the default PDF viewer on Mac — and it can do more than most people realize:
| Task | How to do it in Preview |
|---|---|
| Add text | Tools → Annotate → Text. Click anywhere and type. |
| Highlight / underline | Select text → right-click → Highlight (or use the toolbar). |
| Sign a PDF | Tools → Annotate → Signature → create or place your signature. |
| Fill forms | Click on form fields and type. Preview recognizes most interactive PDF forms. |
| Add shapes / drawings | Tools → Annotate → Rectangle, Oval, Line, or Freehand drawing. |
| Merge PDFs | Open PDF → View → Thumbnails → drag pages from another PDF into the sidebar. |
| Reorder / delete pages | View → Thumbnails → drag to reorder, select and press Delete to remove. |
| Export as different format | File → Export → choose JPEG, PNG, or TIFF. |
| Crop pages | Select area with the Selection tool → Tools → Crop (Cmd+K). |
Preview cannot modify existing text (change a word already in the PDF), add new pages from scratch, or perform OCR. For those tasks, you need a dedicated editor.
Best PDF Editors for Mac (Compared)
| Tool | Price | Edit text | Fill forms | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preview | Free | ❌ | ✅ | Annotations, signing, filling, merging. Already on your Mac. |
| Adobe Acrobat Pro | Paid | ✅ | ✅ | Full editing, OCR, form creation, converting. The industry standard. |
| PDF Expert | Paid | ✅ | ✅ | Fast, Mac-native, clean UI. Best paid alternative to Acrobat for Mac. |
| PDFpen Pro | Paid | ✅ | ✅ | OCR, redaction, form fields. Strong Mac-native option. |
| LibreOffice Draw | Free | ✅ | ❌ | Basic text editing in PDFs. Free and open source. |
| Online tools (iLovePDF, Smallpdf) | Free | ❌ | ✅ | Quick edits without installing anything. |
PDF Expert is the best value for Mac users who need text editing without Acrobat's subscription price. It's a one-time purchase, Mac-native, and handles 90% of what Acrobat does for everyday use.
How to Edit a PDF on Mac (by Task)
| What you want to do | Best tool on Mac |
|---|---|
| Add text on top of a PDF | Preview (free) — Tools → Annotate → Text. |
| Modify existing text (change a word) | PDF Expert or Adobe Acrobat Pro (paid). |
| Fill a form | Preview (free) — click on fields and type. |
| Sign a PDF | Preview (free) — Tools → Annotate → Signature. |
| Merge two PDFs | Preview (free) — drag pages from one PDF into another's sidebar. |
| Delete / reorder pages | Preview (free) — View → Thumbnails → drag or delete. |
| Convert PDF to Word / Excel | Adobe Acrobat (paid) or online tools (iLovePDF, Smallpdf). |
| OCR a scanned PDF | Adobe Acrobat Pro or PDFpen Pro. |
| Compress a PDF | Preview → File → Export → Quartz Filter → Reduce File Size. |
Best PDF Converter Apps for Mac
If you need to convert PDFs to other formats (or other formats to PDF):
- Adobe Acrobat Pro: converts PDF to/from Word, Excel, PowerPoint, HTML, and image formats. The most reliable option.
- Online tools (iLovePDF, Smallpdf, PDF24): free, no install. Convert PDF to Word, Excel, JPG, and vice versa.
- Preview: exports PDF to JPEG, PNG, and TIFF (but not Word or Excel).
- LibreOffice: opens PDFs for editing and can export to multiple formats.
💡 Pro tip: If your PDF is a presentation you need to edit, it's often easier to rebuild it in a tool like Gamma.com.ai — paste the content, let AI generate fresh slides, and export back to PDF. Cleaner than editing a static PDF.
Conclusion
Editing a PDF on Mac starts with Preview — it handles annotations, form filling, signing, merging, and page management for free. For modifying existing text, PDF Expert is the best Mac-native option, and Adobe Acrobat Pro is the full-featured standard. For quick conversions, online tools like iLovePDF and Smallpdf work without any install. Most Mac users will find that Preview covers 80% of what they need — the other 20% is where paid tools earn their price.
FAQs
How do I edit a PDF on Mac for free?
Use Preview (already on your Mac): open the PDF, use the Markup toolbar to add text, highlight, sign, fill forms, and rearrange pages. For modifying existing text, LibreOffice Draw (free, open source) can open and edit PDFs.
What is the best PDF editor for MacBook?
Preview for free basic editing. PDF Expert for the best Mac-native paid editor (text editing, annotations, forms). Adobe Acrobat Pro for the full-featured industry standard (OCR, form creation, advanced conversion).
Can I fill PDF forms on Mac without Acrobat?
Yes — Preview fills most interactive PDF forms natively. Open the PDF, click on form fields, and type. For non-interactive forms (flat PDFs), use Tools → Annotate → Text to place text where needed.
What is the best PDF converter app for Mac?
Adobe Acrobat Pro converts PDF to/from the most formats with the best accuracy. For free conversion, use online tools like iLovePDF, Smallpdf, or PDF24 — they handle PDF to Word, Excel, JPG, and vice versa without installing anything.
How do I modify existing text in a PDF on Mac?
Preview can't do this — you need PDF Expert (paid, Mac-native) or Adobe Acrobat Pro. Open the PDF, click on text to select and edit it directly. LibreOffice Draw (free) also works for basic text changes.
