PcFixin'

How to Edit PDFs and Images with Preview on Mac

By PcFixin' · July 17, 2026 · Mac · Preview, PDF editing, Mac apps

Use the Preview app already on your Mac to fill and sign forms, rearrange PDF pages, crop images, and add quick annotations.

Before you start

Preview comes with macOS, so you do not need to install anything. It can handle common PDF and image tasks, although it is not a full replacement for professional editing software.

To open a file in Preview, double-click it. If another app opens instead, Control-click the file in Finder, choose Open With, and select Preview. Because Preview may save changes automatically, consider choosing File > Duplicate before editing an important original. Menu names below apply to recent macOS versions and may look slightly different on older Macs.

Fill in a PDF form

Many PDF forms contain interactive fields, meaning boxes designed to accept typed information. Click a field and start typing. Checkboxes and menus should also respond when clicked.

If the PDF is not an interactive form, you can place text on top of it with Preview's Markup tools. Markup is simply the collection of tools for adding text, shapes, signatures, and other notes.

1. Open the PDF in Preview.
2. Click the Show Markup Toolbar button near the top of the window. Its icon usually looks like a pen tip inside a circle. If you do not see it, choose View > Show Markup Toolbar.
3. Click the Text button, which displays a T inside a box.
4. Drag the new text box into position, then type your information.
5. Use the Text Style button to adjust the font, size, color, and alignment if needed.
6. Repeat for other blank areas, then choose File > Save.

Add your signature

Preview can store a reusable electronic signature. Depending on your Mac and macOS version, you may be able to create it with the trackpad, your Mac's camera, or a nearby iPhone or iPad. A signature inserted this way is convenient for everyday forms, but it is not the same as a certificate-based digital signature used for some legal or business workflows.

1. Open the PDF and display the Markup toolbar.
2. Click the Signature button, which resembles a handwritten signature. You can also look under Tools > Annotate > Signature if the toolbar button is not visible.
3. Choose Create Signature, then select an available method.
4. For Trackpad, sign with your finger and press any key when finished. For Camera, sign your name clearly on white paper and hold it up to the camera. Follow the onscreen directions if an iPhone or iPad option appears.
5. Select the finished signature to place it on the page.
6. Drag the signature into position and use its corner handles to resize it.

Combine, reorder, or remove PDF pages

Preview's thumbnail sidebar shows small versions of every page. You can use it to rearrange a document or combine pages from separate PDFs.

1. Open the first PDF and choose View > Thumbnails.
2. To add pages from another PDF, open that file in a second Preview window and show its thumbnails too.
3. Select the pages you want in the second document. Hold Command while clicking to select separate pages, or click one thumbnail and press Command-A to select them all.
4. Drag the selected thumbnails into the first PDF's sidebar. Drop them between the pages where you want them to appear.
5. Reorder pages by dragging their thumbnails up or down.
6. To remove a page, select its thumbnail and press Delete.
7. Choose File > Save. To preserve the original, use File > Export as PDF or duplicate the file before editing.

Crop or rotate an image

Preview is useful for basic image adjustments. Cropping removes the area outside a selection, while rotating turns the whole image. Work on a duplicate if you may need the untouched original later.

1. Open a JPEG, PNG, or other supported image in Preview.
2. Choose Tools > Rectangular Selection, or select the rectangular selection tool from the Markup toolbar.
3. Drag around the part of the image you want to keep.
4. Choose Tools > Crop or press Command-K.
5. To turn the image, choose Tools > Rotate Left or Rotate Right. The toolbar may also include a Rotate button.
6. Save the image, or choose File > Export to create a copy in a different format.

Crop PDF pages carefully

You can select an area of a PDF page and choose Tools > Crop, but PDF cropping may only hide material outside the selected area rather than securely erase it. Never use cropping to conceal passwords, account numbers, or other private information. Proper redaction permanently removes sensitive content; covering it with a shape or cropping it is not a safe substitute.

Highlight and annotate files

For selectable PDF text, drag over a passage and use the Highlight button. You can usually change the highlight color from its nearby menu. The Markup toolbar also provides arrows, lines, shapes, text boxes, freehand Sketch and Draw tools, and notes.

After adding a shape or arrow, select it to change its border color, fill color, thickness, or style. Drag its handles to resize it. If you make a mistake, press Command-Z to undo. When you are finished, save the document or export a copy for sharing.

Bottom line

Preview handles most everyday PDF and image jobs without extra software. Duplicate valuable originals first, then use Markup and the thumbnail sidebar to sign, fill, organize, crop, and annotate with confidence.