There are yet a part of our Mac users just taking Mac Preview equally a simple PDF Reader, or PDF analyst at most. Yet, Preview is indeed a free solid PDF tool to view, sign, edit, protect, compress, ingather, manage PDF pages, nearly all your needs to control a PDF, except the part yous desire to editing the text as freely every bit in a give-and-take processor.

So, in this article, we volition evidence how to use Preview on mac to full play, roofing those tips our users may easily overlook.

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  • Edit texts, images, hyperlinks in PDF
  • Split, merge files, add, delete, rotate, rearrange, extract and crop pages
  • Create PDF from blank folio, or from Give-and-take, Exel, PowerPoint, Image, HTML, etc.
  • Catechumen PDF to Give-and-take, Excel, Powerpoint, HTML, Prototype, etc.
  • Recognize scanned PDFs and make them searchable automatically
  • Share, protect, unlock and compare files
  • Make full forms
  • Sign
  • Shrink, optimize PDFs

(For MacOS and Windows)

What File Formats Tin can Preview Read?

Though Preview is well known to deal with epitome-based files (PDF and images), it tin can practice more than:

  • PDF
  • Doc/docx
  • Excel
  • Powerpoint
  • OpenEXR
  • iWork Pages
  • iWork Keynote
  • JPEG/PNG/TIFF/BMP

However, Preview can only "edit" PDF and Paradigm files. That's to say, the toolbars are just abled (in gray and not clickable) when you are dealing with PDF or images. While, opening other files with Preview, no toolbars are activated for further editing or management.

mac preview

How to Use Preview on Mac?

#1 Brand Preview as Default Viewer

You may have installed different file viewers on your mac, if you want to open PDF and image files only with Preview, you lot tin can make it default.

  1. Right click on file> Go info. default21
  2. In the opened panel, go to Open up with and choose Preview in the carte du jour.default2102
  3. Then go to Change all and click Keep , done.

#two Add pages or delete pages from pdf

Delete pages from PDF

  1. Open PDF with Preview.
  2. Select the page, go to Edit > Delete . Washed, if y'all deleted wrong folio, hit Edit > Undo .delete pages pdf

Add page to PDF:

  1. Open the PDF file you desire to add together pages to.
  2. Go to Edit > Insert , then locate the folio you want to insert.add page to pdf

#3 Add together Text/Hyperlink/Folio Numbers to PDF with Preview

In fact, in that location is no toolbar designed to function direct, simply we have tricks. And the method to add text/hyperlink/folio numbers to PDF will depend on 2 situations, either calculation these in blank area or adding past overlapping an existing office.

Adding to Blank Area

Method 1: Open Preview>Go to tools>Annotate>Text

The text field volition announced, input the text, page numbers or hyperlink, you can elevate the text field to enlarge or move to your preferred place.

The hyperlink will work properly when yous open the edited PDF.

Method 2 Choose Show Markup Toolbar > Text , then echo the steps as mentioned in Method 1.

add hyperlin text and numbers

Adding past Overlapping Existing Function

There will be ii steps to add text/hyperlink/folio numbers to PDF if you desire to adding on an existing part.

 Step 1. Erase the existing texts.

  • Open PDF with Preview.
  • In the Bear witness Markup Toolbar , choose Shapes , you tin can cull the square; for the fill color , choose white color; for the border color , choose no color or white. And so drag to white-color square to comprehend the part you want to add a hyperlink/page number/text.

Step 2. Add the Text/Hyperlink/Page Number

And then repeat the steps in situation one "adding to bare area" to add your preferred content to the PDF on mac.

#4 Add Picture to PDF

This is only applicable if you desire to add the picture equally an individual PDF page to another PDF file, if you want to add together a specific picture to a PDF page, Preview won't help, you will need a PDF editor.

  1. Open PDF with Preview.
  2. Edit > insert , choose the picture.

add picture to pdf21

#5 Redact PDF with Mac Preview

If you lot want to black or white out some sensitive data on your PDF, you tin can follow these steps to redact it.

  1. Open PDF with Preview.
  2. Choose Show markup toolbar , then choose Rectangle or Square in Shapes , next, choose a color in Border color , make it greyness; finally choose grey color in fill colour , washed.

redact pdf

Of course, you tin totally choose different colors to redact the PDF, just if you accept adapted to the same color.

#6 Protect and Unprotect PDF with Preview

  1. Open PDF with Preview.
  2. Get to File > Export .
  3. Tick the box before Encrypt , then add together your password.add password 2101

Notation: Preview just allows users to add an open password (restricting users from open and viewing the PDF), if y'all want to add an owner countersign to protect your file from copying, press or editing, grab yourself a PDF editor.

Unprotect pdf

When you endeavor to open a protected PDF, a window will pop-up to require entering password, just input the password, so consign the file as pdf. It will be unprotected.

unprotect pdf

If you have forgotten your PDF countersign, yous will need to take hold of a PDF Password Remover.

#7 Combine PDF with Preview

I found some users are making it quite complicate to combine PDF files with Preview, they are guided to insert one to another by repeating so many steps. It can be extremely easy to make this

Select all PDF files, open up with preview. All the PDF files will exist displayed int the same Preview window, elevate up and downward the reorder the pages. Then export as pdf.

#eight Combine Multiple Image to PDF

This applies the same working manner to combine PDFs with Preview, since Preview is originally created to manage both PDF and prototype files.

Select all image files, and then open with preview. All the images will exist opened in the same Preview Windows, drag up and downwards the reorder the pages.

And then go to File>Consign As PDF, you will exist able to merge all these images into single 1 PDF on mac.

#nine Crop PDF/Image

  1. Open PDF or Image with Preview.
  2. Click Prove markup toolbars and cull rectangular selection.
  3. Then select the part you lot want to crop. The crop icon will appear, click the icon to cease the cropping.

crop pdf

What if Your Preview is Non Working on Mac

Most of our mac users have surrendered to the fact that, Preview, at nowadays and in the well-nigh futurity, won't be a full-featured PDF editor tool, but we withal have primary quibbles nearly "Not Working for NO REASON".

Equally we try to find answers in Apple Discussion, the most efficient way is to upgrade to the latest version. In fact, there are alternatives, you can accept a try on some other good PDF tools.

Adobe Acrobat

Skim

PDFescape

Movavi PDFChef

They may be junior to Preview on one fashion or another, but however are reliable choices when your Preview is OFF.