5 Quick Ways to Edit PDF on Mac

Editing PDFs is an essential thing because the PDF format has become more common in our daily activities these days. Meanwhile, there are no other formats yet that can completely replace the PDF format in order to easily look at the final document file. Through the PDF format, many people can easily access it on their devices without needing to worry about the supported operating system. 

Consequently, many people try to find the easiest ways to edit or convert the final document to PDF format to make it static and not easily edited. This has become mandatory due to the world is shifting into a digital era, which does not need paper-based documents, and the demand for documents in PDF format is increasing significantly. In order to answer these problems, there are many PDF editors have appeared in the market. 

The increase in the people who use platforms other than Windows has led some of the PDF editor providers to develop compatible software to accommodate users from all operating systems, including macOS. If you are a Mac user, whether it is a MacBook or an iMac device, and might be confused about how to edit a PDF on a Mac. Then, you can follow these six ways to edit PDF on Mac instantly using the default application from Apple or external PDF editor applications that are compatible with macOS. 

How to edit PDF on Mac using the default application

Apple offers a robust default application that can be used for editing photos, documents, and even PDF-formatted files, namely the Preview application. This application allows you to edit a PDF file for free without the need to install an external application, and without the need to pay anything. These are the instructions on how to edit PDF on Mac using the Preview application. 

• Step 1: Open the Apple Preview application on your MacBook or iMac. 
• Step 2: Please select the File option and choose the specific PDF document that you need to edit. 
• Step 3: Once the file is open, you can use several tools within this Preview application, such as annotate, crop, and rotate. This tool is available by clicking the Markup symbol. 
• Step 4: You can also use this tool to add a signature on your document by clicking the Signature symbol on this app. 
• Step 5: You can use this app to add a separate PDF document or delete a specific page from the PDF file. 
• Step 6: In order to save the edited PDF files, you can select the File option and choose Export. 
• Step 7: You can change the edited file to a new title and click the Save button. Then, the edited file is saved in your specific folder on your MacBook or iMac. 

These instructions on how to edit PDF on Mac using Preview are easy to understand, and you can master them within minutes. Besides, the Preview application has a simple user interface and is easy to operate even for people who have never used this app before or are not macOS users.

However, the Preview application is only considered for basic PDF editing, such as annotating, adding a signature, and rotating the document, not as a full-fledged PDF editor application. Apple Preview is not equipped with the advanced tools to edit PDFs, such as editing text or the image inside the PDF document. 

How to edit PDF on Mac using external PDF Editors

Unlike the Preview app can be used for basic editing, the PDF editor is still important in order to edit the text, image, and other things in a PDF file. Therefore, Mac users always use an external PDF editor application installed on their computer. This PDF editor will help to fulfill the tasks, especially for more complex editing of documents. 

To address the limitation of the Preview app, some of the PDF editor providers are expanding their compatibility to grab the Mac user market. These apps can be used for editing the PDF document fully because they are equipped with advanced tools. However, most of the external PDF editors are not free. These are instructions on how to edit PDF on Mac using four external PDF editors. 

1. How to edit PDF on Mac with PDFGear

PDFGear is one of the robust applications for editing PDF documents. This application can be installed freely and easily on your MacBook or iMac. Unlike many PDF editor applications, PDFGear allows you to use most of the tools for free. This app would be the right alternative for the Preview application for you who want more complex editing. These are the instructions on how to edit PDF on Mac with PDFGear. 

• Step 1: Find the PDFGear application through Apps and open it on your MacBook or iMac device. 
• Step 2: Then, open the PDF file that you want to edit in PDFGear by clicking the Open File button. 
• Step 3: After the file is open, you can edit the PDF document based on your needs. This app provides many tools, such as adding a signature, annotating, and can be used to edit the text or move the text in your PDF document. 
• Step 4: Once you are finished editing your PDF file. You can save the edited file by clicking the File and tapping Save As. 
• Step 5: Then, you can file your edited PDF file in your storage. You can edit that file or other PDF files again by doing the same process. 

2. How to edit PDF on Mac using PDFelement

PDFelement is another powerful PDF editor tool that is available on Mac. This application provides many advanced tools to edit the PDF document. However, PDFelement is considered a paid PDF editor because the free version of this app only provides very limited features. If you consider using this application as your main PDF editor, you might check the instructions on how to edit PDF on Mac using PDFelement below. 

• Step 1: Find the PDFelement app on your MacBook or iMac using Apps
• Step 2: Once the PDFelement is open, click the selected file by clicking the Open PDF. You can also use Create PDF to create a PDF document file. 
• Step 3: You can use many advanced tools in this application, including giving comments, adding a signature, adding images, converting to many document formats, etc.  
• Step 4: After the file is edited, you can save your PDF document by clicking the File. Then, choose the Save As or Save as Other to compress your edited PDF document. 
• Step 5: Finally, the PDF document will be saved in your selected folder and in the specific storage. 

3. How to edit PDF on Mac using PDF Expert

PDF Expert is considered one of the favorite PDF editors for Mac users. This application provides many features and a seamless user interface that is easy to use, even for a person who has never used this. However, this app is not free, and you need to pay in order to use the full features. If you want to use this app as your main PDF editor, you can take a look at the instructions on how to edit PDF on Mac using PDF Expert as follows: 

• Step 1: Find the PDF Expert application on your MacBook or iMac using Apps and open it. 
• Step 2: After the app opens, click the Select File or drag and drop your selected PDF file into the Open PDF Document bracket. 
• Step 3: Once the file is open, if you have the paid version of PDF Expert, you can edit a PDF document with various features. If not, you can only view your PDF document. 
• Step 4: Once you have finished editing all of the document sections, you can press File and choose Save As. If you want to convert or save this file to other formats, just select the Export button. 
• Step 5: The edited PDF document will be saved in your folder, and you can edit this file again using the steps above. 

4. How to edit PDF on Mac using Adobe Acrobat Reader

Adobe Acrobat Reader is one of the pioneers of PDF editor applications, as well as the most well-known PDF editor. This app is developed by Adobe and is specifically for viewing and editing PDF files on many operating systems, including Windows and Mac. If you are using Adobe Acrobat Reader as your primary PDF editor, you can check the instructions on how to edit PDF on Mac using Adobe Acrobat Reader below. 

• Step 1: Please open the Apps to find the Adobe Acrobat Reader on your Macbook or iMac. 
• Step 2: Then, select the specific file that you want to edit by clicking Open File. 
• Step 3: Once your file is open, you can use the basic editing feature for free. However, if you are a Pro version user, you can use all of the advanced tools to edit your PDF file with Adobe Acrobat Reader. 
• Step 4: After you have finished the editing, please choose the File option. Then, click Save As to ensure that your edited document is saved. 
• Step 5: You can check your file in your selected folder. If you want to continue with the editing, you can repeat these steps. 

Benefits you can get by editing PDF on Mac

The practice of editing PDF on Mac is quite easy, and you might be wondering why we should edit PDF using a MacBook rather than another operating system. Here are the benefits of knowing how to edit PDF on Mac. 

1. MacOS provides a built-in application for basic editing of PDF documents, called Preview. Therefore, you do not need the other software in order to just give comments or even add a signature. 
2. By using a built-in application from macOS for editing the PDF, you can secure your privacy or personal information. The security will be a huge concern if you are using the PDF editor online, as there is a probability that your data or information is not safe. 
3. Using macOS to edit PDF documents will save you time because macOS is designed to be fast, especially if it only editing the document. On the other hand, macOS is very well integrated with the other Apple ecosystem, which makes user easy to send to an iOS device. 
4. By using macOS, you can save paper, particularly on signing or filling a forms, or adding text in a PDF document. You do not need to print in order to sign the document, and you can just sign or add directly through the free app on macOS. 

Conclusion

Editing a PDF on a Mac is simple, and everyone can do that without the need to be familiar with macOS. This operating system provides a free built-in application that you can use to edit the PDF document directly on your Mac computer. The features from the Preview application to edit a PDF file are quite robust, from adding comments to adding a signature. However, this app does not support the advanced tools that are mostly provided by the PDF editor. If you do not feel enough with the Preview app tools, you can install the PDF editor that is available for macOS, such as PDF Expert, PDFelement, PDFGear, and Adobe Acrobat Reader. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): 

Why do people need to know how to edit PDF on Mac? 

People need to know how to edit PDF on Mac because these steps will help them to edit the PDF document easily directly on a MacBook or an iMac. These steps will simplify their activities, especially those who need to face the PDF document daily.

What is the easiest instruction on how to edit PDF on Mac? 

Basically, all of the instructions on how to edit PDF on Mac above are simple and easy to apply. The easiest way by use the Preview app because you do not need to install an application and can directly edit without the need to install an external app. However, this app can only be used for basic PDF editing. 

Can I edit PDF on Mac without needing to pay? 

Yes, definitely. The Preview app from Apple can be used for free for macOS users. You can just open your PDF file in this application. 

Can I edit a PDF document on a Mac without an internet connection? 

Yes, absolutely. The built-in application from Apple, namely Preview, can be used to edit a PDF document without an internet connection. The external PDF editors can also edit the PDF document on a Mac offline. 

Why do people need to install a PDF editor on their MacBook?

People need to install a PDF editor on their MacBook as a complement due to the limitations of the Preview application. The PDF editor mostly has advanced features, but they are provides very limited features for the free version. 

What is the PDF editor developed exclusively for Mac?

A PDF editor that is exclusively developed for macOS is PDF Expert. This app is not available for other operating systems other than those from the Apple ecosystem, such as macOS and iOS.