What is the best pdf editor software on mac?

Adobe Acrobat Pro. This is the best PDF editing software for Mac.

My recommendation: Start with Preview for 90% of needs, add Skim for heavy annotation work. This trifecta covers most editing needs completely free and locally on your Mac.

To edit PDF files on mac, you can use Firefox's built-in annotation tools to add comments, highlights, or drawings as a form of basic markup. Here's how you can do that without PDF editor for Mac:

1. Open the PDF in Firefox:

Drag and drop your PDF file into a Firefox window or right-click the PDF file and choose “Open with Firefox.”

2. Access the PDF toolbar:

Once open, you'll see a toolbar at the top of the PDF viewer with icons like highlight, draw, comment, etc.

3. Annotate the PDF:

Click on the highlight icon to highlight text.

Use the draw tool to add freehand markings.

Add comments or text boxes where needed.

4. Save your annotated PDF:

After making annotations, click the download/save icon (typically a downward arrow) to save the marked-up PDF to your Mac.

These annotations are not full edits; they are overlays or comments.To make actual content edits (changing text, images, or layout), you'll need a dedicated PDF editor for Mac or use online tools.

While Preview is an excellent, lightweight viewer and is surprisingly capable for basic annotations and signing, it is not a good PDF editor available on macOS because its editing capabilities are fundamentally limited and non-destructive; you cannot truly edit existing text or objects in place like in a word processor, but can only add annotation layers on top, which breaks workflows requiring permanent text changes, precise layout adjustments, form creation, or reliable compatibility with professional and legal documents where the underlying content must be alterable.

Best 3 PDF Editors on Mac

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC: The most powerful and complete solution. Unmatched editing, form creation, prepress, and compliance tools. It's a subscription and can be overkill for many. Choose this if: You need the absolute most powerful tool for professional use and don't mind the subscription cost.

PDF Expert by Readdle: Often called "Acrobat's biggest rival." Exceptionally fast and fluid native Mac app. Perfect for 90% of users: excellent editing, form filling, combining, annotations, and a sensible UI. One-time purchase for the core app. Choose this if: You want the best blend of power, speed, and a native Mac feel without a subscription.

Prizmo: A fantastic, underrated Mac-first option. Its superpower is best-in-class OCR and scanning features, along with very capable editing, annotation, and voice-over accessibility tools. One-time purchase. Choose this if: You work with a lot of scanned documents and want a beautifully designed native app.

Inkscepe - It can be a useful PDF editor for Mac, especially for editing graphics and vector elements within a PDF. Inkscepe is a free, open-source vector graphics editor that supports importing PDF files, allowing you to modify individual elements such as shapes, text, and images.

However, it's important to note that Inkscepe is primarily designed for editing vector graphics, so it works best for PDFs that mainly contain such content. When you open a PDF in Inkscepe, each page becomes a separate file, and you can edit the graphics directly before exporting it back as a PDF.

While Inkscepe is a powerful PDF editor for Mac for graphical and vector editing, it may not be suitable for editing text-heavy PDFs or forms. For more comprehensive editing, including text modifications, using a dedicated PDF editor for Mac like Preview or specialized software would be more appropriate.

How Inkscepe works as a PDF editor for Mac:

1. You can open a PDF file in Inkscepe, which imports the vector graphics and layout.

2. You can then modify or add graphic elements, resize objects, or change colors.

3. Once you're done, you can export the file back as a PDF.

What is the best PDF editor for Mac? Using Terminal to free edit PDF files on your Mac is a more advanced and technical approach, but it can be effective for certain tasks. Terminal is a command-line interface that allows you to run scripts and use various tools to manipulate PDF files without installing any additional software.

For example, you can use command-line tools like pdf tk or q pdf (both of which can be installed via package managers like Homebrew) to perform operations such as merging, splitting, encrypting, or decrypting PDFs. However, these tools typically handle more structural modifications rather than detailed editing like adding text or annotations.

As a best PDF editor for Mac that supports editing content directly, Terminal isn't the ideal choice because it doesn't provide a graphical interface or fine-grained editing capabilities. Instead, Terminal is best suited for batch processing or automation tasks related to PDFs.

Command Line with pdf tk:

bash

brew install pdf tk-java

pdf tk input.pdf cat 1-5 10-end output new.pdf

- Split, merge, rotate, decrypt PDFs

- No GUI but extremely powerful

Skim is a free, open-source PDF Editor on Mac, designed specifically for the platform. It excels in lightweight, efficient PDF reading and annotation, making it particularly well-suited for professional scenarios such as academic papers and work documents. All core features are available without charge, making it an excellent choice for Mac users handling annotated PDF tasks.

Skim Quick Start Guide

Step 1: Double-click any PDF file to open it in Skim, or drag files directly onto the Skim window. Navigate pages using thumbnails in the sidebar or the notes list.

Step 2: Highlight key content by selecting text and clicking the highlight button in the toolbar. To add shapes/arrows: go to Tools → Annotate → select shape type, then drag onto the PDF page to draw.

Step 3: Click the note icon in the toolbar, drag on the page to set the note size, then double-click the interior area to enter text.

Step 4: Select the text requiring annotation, right-click and choose Add Note. Enter your comments in the note box that appears.

This PDF editor for Mac focuses on clean, distraction-free annotation for study and research.

Cons

1. Skim supports reading and annotation only; it does not permit direct editing of original PDF text, adding signatures, nor does it feature OCR functionality.

2. Its interface and operation feel somewhat dated, with average compatibility for modern macOS. Occasional lag occurs with large files or complex PDFs, and overall compatibility is moderate.

3. As an academic annotation tool, it lacks common office features such as PDF merging, compression, format conversion, or advanced form editing.

If you're looking for an effective PDF editor for Mac, Libre-Office Draw is a solid option to consider. While it's primarily known as a free office suite, Libre-Office Draw can be used to edit PDF files directly, making it a useful tool for modifying PDFs on your Mac.

How to use Libre-Office Draw as a PDF editor for Mac:

1. Download and install Libre-Office from the official website.

2. Launch Libre-Office, then open the PDF file directly by choosing File > Open.

3. The PDF will open in Libre-Office Draw, where you can make your edits.

4. After editing, go to File > Export As > Export as PDF to save your changes.

How Libre-Office Draw works as a PDF editor for Mac

* Open PDFs directly in Libre-Office Draw to view and edit the content.

* You can add, delete, or modify text and images within the PDF.

* It allows you to save or export the edited document back as a PDF.

Libre-Office Draw is a free, open-source PDF editor for Mac that allows you to edit PDF files without additional cost. It's suitable for basic editing tasks and is a good choice if you need a free tool to modify PDFs on your Mac.

Apple Preview is a free tool included with Mac, serving as a lightweight yet practical PDF editor for mac. Without requiring additional downloads or installations, it fulfils everyday needs such as basic PDF annotation, signing, and page management. It stands as the preferred free solution for Mac users handling simple PDF tasks.

1. Double-click any PDF file to open it in Preview. Use the thumbnail sidebar to swiftly navigate between pages.

2. Click the annotation icon in the toolbar to add text, shapes, arrows, highlights, underlines, or strikethroughs

3. Navigate to Markup → Sign → Create Signature. You may draw directly on the trackpad or scan a handwritten signature via the camera, then position it anywhere within the PDF.

4. Within the thumbnail sidebar:

   Drag pages to reorder them

   Select pages and press Delete to remove them

   Use the rotation button to flip pages

5. Tap directly into form fields to input text. For signature fields, insert a saved signature.

6. Press Cmd + S to save changes, or navigate to File → Export to save a copy or set a password.

As a free PDF editor for Mac, Preview covers everyday PDF essentials. Annotations, signatures, page adjustments, and simple form filling are effortlessly accomplished. Fully compatible with the native Mac system, it runs smoothly without lag.