How to Edit a PDF on Your MacBook Using Preview

Are you stuck with a PDF that needs some tweaking, but you don't have access to Adobe Acrobat? Fear not! If you're using a MacBook, you can easily edit your PDF using the built-in Preview app. In this article, we'll explore six tasks that people often think require Acrobat, but can be accomplished in Preview.

Add Shapes and Text Boxes

The Markup toolbar in Preview is packed with features for adding various shapes and text boxes to your PDF. To get started, click on the Markup button and then select the Note button. This will allow you to add notes anywhere on the page. You can also place faux sticky notes anywhere on a PDF page. These notes are easily movable and resizable.

Add General Notes

To add general notes to your PDF, simply choose View > Highlights and Notes from the menu bar. This will open up the sidebar where you can see all your notes in one place. From here, you can drag the closed note box to position it on the page.

Highlight Text

Preview provides a range of colored highlighters that you can use to mark important text. You can also add underline and strikethrough styles to make your highlights stand out even more. While you can't change the actual text with Preview, you can still mark up the document.

Add Highlight Notes

To ensure that your highlights make sense to others, it's a good idea to add notes to them. From the Highlight menu in the toolbar, select one of the highlight options and then choose the desired text.

Rearrange Pages

If you have a PDF with pages that need rearranging, Preview has got you covered. Simply open both PDFs, make sure their sidebars are showing page thumbnails, and then drag one or more thumbnails from one sidebar to the other. You can also delete unnecessary pages by selecting them in the sidebar and pressing Delete.

Delete Unnecessary Pages

If you have a PDF with unnecessary pages, you can easily delete them using Preview. To do this, simply select the pages you want to remove and press Delete. Alternatively, you can drag the thumbnails of the unwanted pages to the Finder to export them as separate PDF files.

In conclusion, while Adobe Acrobat is an excellent tool for editing PDFs, it's not necessary to use it if you're just making basic edits. With Preview, you can add shapes and text boxes, highlight text, add notes, rearrange pages, delete unnecessary pages, and more - all without breaking the bank. So next time you need to edit a PDF on your MacBook, give Preview a try!

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