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PDFpen lets you change anything about your PDF docs.
For full pdf editing capabilities (for example adding paragraphs of text, moving pictures around on a page etc) you need to get some fully blown pdf editing software like Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Acrobat Professional. But these cost hundreds of dollars. Apr 29, 2020 Step 2. Edit PDF Text on Mac Edit PDF text: On the top toolbar, click the 'Text' button and then double click over any text on the PDF page to start editing.There are 2 mode available for you to edit text in PDF files: 'Paragraph Mode' and 'Line Mode'.You're able to directly delete words or add words and sentences to the existing content in the PDF files as you want. Nov 12, 2019 Best PDF reader for the Mac - at a glance. PDF Reader Premium. An easy-to-use PDF management tool. PDF Reader Premium. At Kdan Mobile. User-friendly interface. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.
Jun 26, 2020 It's not free, but if you need to edit and create PDFs professionally, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is the software for you. It gives you total freedom to create new PDFs from scratch and edit existing. May 24, 2019 PDFpen lets you edit PDFs by adding text and images, fixing typos, filling out forms, and covering sensitive information. What’s more, the app features an OCR (optical character recognition) functionality, so you can scan printed documents directly into editable PDF files, and even export them to Microsoft Word later on.
In a digitized era, where practically all business is done online, it’s hard to spend a day without encountering a PDF file. After all, it’s the most popular digital document format — interactive, free to use and, crucially, able to preserve original formatting (including fonts, images, layouts, and more).
Developed by Adobe in the 90s, PDF made it possible to present identical documents using different applications and devices. Originally a proprietary invention that was promoted with Adobe software, PDF became an open format in 2008, which meant free use for all, without any lingering ties to Adobe.
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How To Choose The Best PDF Editor For Mac
Today, there are dozens of applications that can read, modify, and edit PDFs. All are different: free PDF editors, PDF modifiers, costly Mac PDF editors, and even a default PDF reader for Mac that comes with your operating system.
If you need to edit a PDF on Mac, it’s important to not go straight to Google looking for a “free PDF editor download.” In the last decade, lots of bad players have been putting all kinds of malware in those free PDF downloads, hoping for people to be enticed enough by the proposition. So you should know exactly which PDF editor app is best for your needs — luckily you have the perfect guide below.
Apple Preview PDF reader for Mac
If you’re looking for a free PDF editor for Mac, you should start with the one you already have — Preview — which is the default application for viewing any images and PDF files.
Although it can hardly be called a PDF editor app, Preview can perform most of the tasks most people need to do every day: looking through the documents, leaving comments, and signing contracts.
To configure Preview to your liking:
![Documents Documents](/uploads/1/2/6/4/126428048/249190709.jpg)
- Launch the app from your Dock or Launchpad
- Select View from the menu bar options
- Set scroll, zoom, and toolbar to what you’d like to see
Then to actually use PDF modifier functions:
- Choose Tools from the menu bar
- Hover over Annotate
- Select from shapes, signatures, notes (comments), and more
When you’re done editing the document, don’t forget to save it (⌘ + S) or export it to create a new file by going to File ➙ Export.
A hidden benefit of Preview that’s not often talked about is its natural integration into the macOS. The app can be easily used within the Apple ecosystem and is quite swift as well.
Adobe Acrobat Reader for Mac
One of the first and hence now widely considered standard solutions for viewing and editing PDF files is Adobe Acrobat Reader. By all accounts, it’s a solid and professional PDF editor for Mac.
![For For](/uploads/1/2/6/4/126428048/257969048.jpg)
There’s, however, one caveat — you can hardly call Adobe Acrobat the best free PDF editor for Mac because to get all of its features you need to pay, a lot. If you subscribe for the whole year, it comes down to $15 a month. Otherwise, it’s $25.
So if you download Adobe Reader for Mac from Adobe’s website, it will only give you a limited number of tools, which are very similar to Apple Preview: comment and sign. To get more you’d need to sign up for the Adobe Acrobat Pro free trial.
Anyway, in case you’re satisfied with Acrobat PDF editor’s limited functionality for the basic version, you can still work with all the PDFs you need:
- Download and install Adobe Reader for Mac from adobe.com
- Open the PDF file of your choice
- To comment or sign the file, navigate to Tools in the top bar of the app
- Choose the tool you want to use and then select a more specific one from the top bar once you’re in the document itself
If you try to choose the tool that’s not available in the free version of Acrobat Reader for Mac, the app will direct you to the website where you can subscribe to get access.
All in all, while the paid Adobe Acrobat Reader for Mac offers you a full toolkit of productivity, its free option is comparable to Apple Preview, with the latter being a bit more lightweight and fast due to its integration with macOS.
But what’s a truly powerful Mac PDF editor?
PDFpen full-featured OCR editor
While the paid version of Adobe Acrobat Reader for Mac is costly and convoluted, PDFpen offers much more in one straightforward package.
Install PDFpen, best PDF editor for Mac
Make any PDF file editable with PDFpen. With in-built OCR support, nothing is carved in stone if you have PDFpen installed on your Mac.
Edit Pdf File On Mac
PDFpen lets you edit PDFs by adding text and images, fixing typos, filling out forms, and covering sensitive information. What’s more, the app features an OCR (optical character recognition) functionality, so you can scan printed documents directly into editable PDF files, and even export them to Microsoft Word later on.
Using PDFpen is as easy as Preview:
- Open any PDF document
- In the top bar, find the toggle which lets you switch between text and shapes. These are the tools you can use to enhance your documents. All of them can also be accessed from the Tools dropdown in the menu bar.
One of the most commonly used features with PDFs is highlighting, which is perfectly executed in PDFpen. Just select from the top bar and choose a color. The tool will then switch between a freehand highlighter when hovering over shapes and a structured one when it’s over some text.
Finally, PDFpen’s renowned OCR functionality doesn’t require you to have any specific AI knowledge — it just works:
- In PDFpen, go File ➙ Open (or ⌘ + O) and select your image
- Check all languages that apply
- Turn the image into either an OCR Page or OCR document
- Now you can edit your image freely and export it later
Bonus: Professional PDF Search
When you’re working with lots of PDFs everyday, some things are inevitably going to get lost. Especially, since lots of documents and reports are often dozens or even hundreds of pages long.
In this reality, you absolutely need a tool that will help you retain information at the tip of your fingers. Enter PDF Search. This app doesn’t just search your PDF files for exact matches — it uses the power of AI to check relevant terms, multiple combinations, and even scan PDF files in bulk.
The first time you open PDF Search, it will ask you to index the folder with all your PDFs, which may take some time but will also speed up all future searches. After indexing is complete, simply enter the number or text you’re looking for in the search field, press Return, and the results (including related ones) would instantly appear.
To recap, when you’re looking for the best free PDF editor for Mac, your options might seem infinite, but it really comes down to what exactly you need to edit. If it’s just viewing documents and making comments, Apple Preview can do the job just fine. But when you need some heavy-duty lifting, nothing beats PDFpen. In addition, PDF Search is recommended for anyone working with large number of PDFs on a daily basis.
Best of all, PDFpen and PDF Search are both available to you on a free 7-day trial from Setapp, a platform for over 150 indispensable Mac apps designed to take your productivity to the next level. All that’s left to do now is just read and edit!
We all love agood PDF editor. But while there is an abundance of options for PC users, Macusers are left with one simple question:
What’s the bestway to edit PDF while on Mac?
Mac users have ahard time looking for a free PDF editing solution. But with some creativity,there are ways to get around the problem.
Preview
We can’t move forward without mentioning Preview. This pre-installed program comes with every Mac and is the default PDF editor. It does the most basic things except edit text.
So if all there is to do is rearrange pages or insert annotations (Tools > Annotate), Preview might be enough.
Editinga PDF
To edit PDFdocuments, you will need to access the editing feature of Preview.
- Open the PDF you want to edit.
Click the Edit button in Preview.
Select one of the editing options from the toolbar such as add text or shapes.
Other Features
There’s a featurethat lets users rearrange the pages in any order they wish. This can be donethrough the sidebar. Those who don’t have the sidebar on by default can enableit from the View menu.
But what if youreally need to make edits to the text? What can you do? While not an idealsolution, you can create a white box to cover the unwanted copy. Then you cansimply add your text and place it on top of the box.
Inserting a Signature
Adding asignature is also possible if your Mac has iSight or a trackpad connected toit. The freehand drawing tool can also be used to insert shapes—or asignature—straight onto the PDF.
If you alreadyhave a signature saved on your computer, adding it to the PDF is even easier.
Click Sign in the Edit toolbar.
Select a signature from the drop-down list or add a new one.
Position the signature where it needs to be in the document.
ConvertingPDFs
Another possible solution is to convert PDF files into DOC versions. That way, the converted file can be edited in MS Word.
To do this, youmay need to look into using file converters. There are free programs availableonline that will get the job done. After you make your edits, you can save thedocument as a PDF, converting it back to its original file format.
If formatting isnot an issue, there are ways to convert PDFs to Word for free.
Convertusing Preview
- Open the PDF on Preview.
- Copy the text from the document.
- Paste the copy on Microsoft Word.
- Make changes to the copy
- Go to File > Save As and select PDF from the drop-down menu.
Convertusing Google Docs
- Log into your Google Drive account.
- Upload the PDF file by dragging the document to the dashboard or by going to New > File Upload.
Once the uploading is finished, right-click the document and go to Open With > Google Docs.
Make the necessary edits. Once finished, go to File > Download As > PDF Document.
Third-partyprograms
Edit Pdf Documents Free
Mac OS users whoneed something more powerful have to resort to third-party software. There aremany programs to choose from online. Some of them well-established whileothers, not so much.
If you’replanning to go this route, you need to perform extensive research to make sureyou’re not downloading and installing a dud.
Users also have to keep in mind that no third-party PDF editor is perfect. Running into issues like being unable to edit the existing text is still a possibility.
Mac Edit Pdf Text
EditPDFs online
There are sitesthat offer online PDF editing. You simply upload the file and start makingchanges. When you download the document to your computer, it will be saved as aPDF.