How to edit a PDF on a Mac without Acrobat

Preview vs a browser editor

• Preview adds text boxes, shapes, highlights and signatures over the page. A white box with typing on top is a second layer: it can show against a tinted background or in print.
• This editor rewrites the line in place, in the document’s own font where the file allows, and marks a block Overlay only before you type when it can only draw over the old text.

What you need

• A PDF under 5 MiB (25 MiB on Pro), up to 100 pages
• A desktop browser (upload and download only on a phone)
• Text you can select — not a scan
• A free account, with a confirmed email, to download

Steps on a Mac

1. Open the editor in Safari, Chrome, Firefox or Edge.
2. Drag the PDF from Finder onto the box, or click Choose a PDF.
3. Double-click the text and type.
4. Export PDF; your browser saves it, usually to Downloads.

iPhone or iPad: the editor does not open on a phone or touch tablet, but you can upload there and, signed in to the same account on both, find the file in Your documents on the Mac.

Related: edit the text in a PDF, fix a typo, is my PDF scanned?. Open the editor.