Learn how to edit a PDF on Mac without needing Adobe Acrobat, using the wonderful tools we recommend.
Our team has provided three options: one advanced tool for desktop, an online free tool, and a built-in Mac tool.
Top Applications to Edit a PDF on Mac (No Acrobat)
Our team has compiled a sample of the top applications to edit a PDF on a Mac without needing to use Adobe Acrobat.
See their best features for PDF editing and the key benefits of each below:
| Application | Editing Tools | Key Benefits |
| PDF Reader Pro |
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| ComPDF Web Demo |
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| Mac Preview Tool |
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How to Edit a PDF on Mac
To edit a PDF on a Mac professionally and efficiently, follow the instructions for each tool outlined above.
Using PDF Reader Pro
Step 1: Download PDF Reader Pro for Mac
Free Download 
Free Download
Step 2: Open Your PDF
Click “Open File” on the left or drag and drop your file into the Home interface.
Step 3: Click “Edit PDF” on the Main Menu
Click “Add Text” or “Add Image” to get started. Click on the page where you want to place the text or image into the PDF.
See how to make other edits, such as how to sign your PDF, in our other blogs.
Using ComPDF Web Demo
Step 1: Upload Your PDF
Click the icon with the page and the upward arrow to choose your file from your document library.
Step 2: Choose “Content Editor” from the Main Menu Drop-Down
You can also choose “Content Editor” on the left-hand panel to see a mini guide to the tool before starting these steps.
Step 3: Click “Add Text” or “Add Image”
Click to place your text or images within your document.
Using Mac Preview Tool
Step 1: Locate Your PDF
Press the spacebar over your PDF inside your document library
Step 2: Click the Markup Pencil Icon
Click “Text” to add text to your PDF. Click to place it.
Step 3: Make Other Edits
Other edits, such as highlighting and signing, are available.
Click “Done” to finalise your changes.
Free vs. Paid Tools for PDF Editing
Mac users are fortunate to have Preview, Apple’s built-in PDF reader and annotation tool. It’s completely free and great for:
- Highlighting and underlining text
- Adding basic annotations and shapes
- Signing forms with your trackpad or iPhone
- Rearranging, deleting, or rotating pages
However, there are a few drawbacks to using free tools alone. For example:
- You can’t edit existing text or images in the PDF
- No OCR (Optical Character Recognition) support
- No PDF-to-Word or PDF-to-Excel conversions
- Limited form-filling features
Preview is a solid starting point if you’re only marking up documents or filling out simple forms. But for anything more advanced, you’ll quickly hit a wall.
Paid PDF editors like PDF Reader Pro offer the flexibility, performance, and professional polish needed for business, academic, and everyday use, without the Adobe Acrobat price tag.
| Features of PDF Reader Pro | Description |
| 📄 PDF Viewing & Reading | Enjoy a smooth reading experience with multiple view modes, night mode, and tabbed browsing on the PDF version of your Google Doc. |
| ✍️ Annotation Tools | Highlight, underline, strikethrough, and add comments, stamps, or callouts to your new PDF. |
| 🛠 PDF Editing | Edit text, images, links, headers, and footers directly within the new PDF. |
| 🔐 Form Filling & Signing | Make your new PDF an interactive form for yourself or others to sign and fill out. |
| 📉 PDF Compression | Reduce the file size of your PDF version without losing quality—great for emailing or uploading documents. |
| 🔀 Merge & Split PDFs | Combine your new PDF with other PDFs in your document library or split it into smaller parts. |
| 🔄 Convert PDFs | Convert your new PDF to other formats as well, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, image formats, and vice versa. |
| 📚 OCR (Optical Character Recognition) | Extract text from the PDF version of your document from images that may now be flattened. |
| 🔒 Security & Permissions | Password-protect your PDF, add watermarks, and restrict printing or editing access, making the document just as safe as when it was secured on Google Docs. |
| ☁️ Cloud Integration (for iOS and Android) | Sync your new PDF with Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud Drive and more. |
| 🤖 AI Tools | Using built-in AI features, you can translate, summarize, rewrite or proofread your new PDF version of the Google Doc. |
See our blog weekly for more tutorials on the latest PDF editing software and helpful guides to using special features. We also have an extensive template library for you to make use of.
