Osx Pdf Reader

Reader

Open source and lightweight. Available in dozens of languages. No anti-aliasing, so.

  1. Adobe Reader XI 11.0.10 for Mac OS X Securely view, print, search, sign, verify, and collaborate on PDF documents, online as well as offline, from your home or office.
  2. Haihaisoft PDF Reader is the best PDF reader for Mac OS X users with slow internet speeds. You can download PDF reader for Mac OS X easily as it is only 3 MB In size. Haihaisoft comes with multi-language support which will allow you to use this software easily in multiple countries.

If you’ve ever been given a pdf file that you want to edit, or a pdf form that you need to complete and return electronically, you’ll realise that it’s not obvious how to edit a pdf file in OS X. You can make simple changes to a pdf file using the free built-in Preview App that comes free with OS X. Here’s how.

If you double-click on any pdf file in OS X it will open in an application called Preview. Preview has a hidden “Annotations Toolbar’ that will allow you to edit the pdf file. You can’t change what’s already in the pdf document. But you can do minor changed like adding your own text and graphics, so this method will allow you to complete a form or make minor additions.

For full pdf editing capabilities (for example adding paragraphs of text, moving pictures around on a page etc) you need to get some fully blown pdf editing software like Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Acrobat Professional. But these cost hundreds of dollars. The good news is that ‘Preview’, the built-in OS X pdf reader app, has some basic pdf editing abilities built-in.

Here’s how to use the Annotations Toolbar.

Go up to the View menu and select the menu item called ‘Show Annotations Toolbar. This will give you a toolbar along the bottom of your preview window to help you edit the pdf file.

Note: In Yosemite and El Capitan the ‘Annotations Toolbar’ has been Renamed to ‘Markup Toolbar’ so that it looks like this:

After you select the ‘View: Show Annotations Toolbar’ menu you will see a toolbar across the bottom of the preview window that looks like this:

These buttons will allow you to edit the pdf file. The left three buttons make an arrow, a circle or a rectangle. The fourth button along allows you to add text to the pdf.

If you click on the text box button – the 4th button across, you can then go up to your document and add in a text box like this:

If you click on the text button you can add a text box to the pdf document like this.

This is a very easy way to fill in pdf files that are forms.

If you highlight the newly added text you can change the font by pressing Apple-T and the font window will appear.

You can’t delete what’s already in a document, but you can draw a rectangle over it to hide it and type something new over the top.

You can cover over existing text using a rectangle with a white border like this.

You’ll notice you can’t change the rectangle color from being black, but you can put a very fat white border around it so it looks like a white rectangle!

Please note, this is more of a hack than a proper way to edit. The original information that you have edited will still be there. It is just covered over. If someone deletes the box they will see the original document.

This is what led the the recent scandal in Australian Politics when all the private phone numbers of Australian politicians were accidentally leaked. The deleted the phone numbers from public documents by changing the colour from black to white. But they didn’t realise someone could still get the numbers out of the documents.

If you want to totally change the images and text on an existing pdf file you will need an application like Adobe Illustrator that can actually edit the content of pdf files. But if you only want to make small changes, the built-in preview app will do the job!

If you’d like to sign a PDF document with your handwritten signature I have a separate article on how to do that.

From documents, resumes to books, PDF is a pretty standard file format. Mac’s default PDF viewer is Preview. But you can easily change the default PDF viewer on Mac in just a few clicks. Preview is great for viewing PDFs and basic annotating. However, it lacks a few features. To modify the text or to fill forms, you will need a sophisticated PDF editor app, and making them the default PDF viewer will save both time and energy.

How to Set the Default PDF Viewer on Mac

If you have downloaded an alternative PDF viewer on your Mac, the app might have prompted you to become the default application. So, before we move on, let’s first check what is a default PDF reader on your Mac.

Check the Default PDF Viewer on Mac

Step #1. Lookup a PDF file on your Mac and right-click or tap it with two fingers.

Step #2. Hover the cursor on Open With and observe the dialogue box that appears.

The first option in the listing will have (default) written behind the app. This signifies that the app is currently the default PDF viewer on your Mac.

Now that we have discovered it, let’s get down to switching the default PDF viewer.

To Change Default PDF Viewer on Mac

Step #1. Tap the PDF file with two fingers or right-click to invoke the contextual menu.

Step #2. Move the cursor to Get Info and click.

Step #3. In the pop-up window, look for the “Open With:” menu. If the tab is closed, expand it by clicking on the small grey arrow beside it.

Step #4. Here, click on the drop-down menu and select the application you prefer.

Step #5. Once selected, click on Change All… button to make it default.

Linux Pdf Reader Reddit

Step #6. Click Continue to confirm.

Pdf Reader For Macbook

And now, when you check the default PDF viewer on Mac, it will have the app you set.

That’s All

Do note that this method does not just apply to PDF files. This indeed is the way to change the default app of any kind of file. So, go ahead, mix, match, and play!

And as far as file formats go, PDF is amongst the most popular and secure document formats out there. And thankfully Mac carries a variety of features to accommodate the format, such as:-

A self-professed Geek who loves to explore all things Apple. I thoroughly enjoy discovering new hacks, troubleshooting issues, and finding and reviewing the best products and apps currently available. My expertise also includes curating opinionated and honest editorials. If not this, you might find me surfing the web or listening to audiobooks.

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