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Every Mac includes Preview, Apple's app for opening PDFs and images. Double-click a supported file, and it will usually open without another download, subscription, or setup process.
Preview does much more than display files. It can combine documents, rearrange PDF pages, fill forms, add signatures, redact text, remove image backgrounds, convert file formats, and recognize text in photos.
Those tools are enough for many routine document and image jobs, although Preview is not a full PDF or photo editor. It cannot directly rewrite text already embedded in a PDF, reconstruct complex page layouts, or export a PDF as a Word document. Live Text can recognize words in supported images, but Preview does not offer a conventional workflow for adding a searchable text layer to every page of a scanned PDF.
These instructions reflect Preview in macOS Tahoe 26. Many of the features also work in earlier macOS versions, although some buttons, menu names, and capabilities may differ.
Manage and edit PDF pages in Preview
Preview is particularly useful for cleaning up PDFs, extracting pages, combining files, and completing forms.
Before making major changes, choose File > Duplicate. Preview automatically saves many document changes, so editing a copy protects the original.
1. Rearrange or delete PDF pages
Open the PDF and choose View > Thumbnails to display its pages in the sidebar. You can also press Option-Command-2.
Drag a page thumbnail up or down to move it. To move several nonconsecutive pages together, hold Command while selecting their thumbnails, then drag the group to its new position.
To remove a page, select its thumbnail and press Delete.
This is useful when a scan arrives in the wrong order, a document includes an unnecessary cover sheet, or blank pages need to be removed before sharing.
Deleting a page also removes annotations attached to it, so review the document before closing the file.
2. Combine PDFs or extract selected pages
Open both PDFs and choose View > Thumbnails in each window. Drag the pages you want from one thumbnail sidebar into the other. Drop them between existing thumbnails to control where they appear.
Apple's instructions for combining PDFs in Preview also describe a shortcut for merging an entire document: Drag the PDF from Finder into the thumbnail sidebar of an open PDF.
To extract pages, select their thumbnails and drag them to the desktop. Preview creates a separate PDF containing those pages.
For example, you can extract pages 3 through 5 from a 12-page agreement instead of sending the entire file.
3. Fill PDF forms with AutoFill
Click an interactive field in a PDF and begin typing. If the form does not allow direct input, click Show Form Filling Toolbar, then add a text box manually.
In macOS 14.2 or later, enhanced AutoFill can insert names, addresses, and other details stored in Contacts. Click AutoFill Form above the PDF, or select a supported field and choose the contact information to insert.
Not every PDF supports enhanced AutoFill, and automatic detection may miss fields. Review every page before returning a completed form.
Apple's guide to filling and signing PDF forms also explains how to create signatures with a trackpad, camera, iPhone, or iPad.
4. Protect a PDF with passwords and permissions
Preview can require a password before someone opens a PDF. It can also set a separate owner password for actions such as printing, copying text, or adding annotations.
Open the document and choose File > Export, then click Permissions. Select Require Password To Open Document to restrict access to the file.
You can also choose which actions are permitted without the owner password. Enter the required passwords, click Apply, and save the document.
To change the restrictions on a PDF that already has an owner password, choose File > Edit Permissions.
The password required to open a PDF controls access to the document. The owner password controls which features a reader can use after opening it.
Apple provides the complete procedure in its guide to password-protecting PDFs in Preview.
5. Permanently redact sensitive text
Do not conceal confidential information by placing a black rectangle over it. A movable shape may leave the underlying text intact.
Instead, open the Markup toolbar and select Redaction Selection. Drag across the selectable text you want to remove.
You can change or undo the selection while the document remains open. After you close the file, the redaction becomes permanent.
Apple's documentation for annotating and redacting PDFs confirms that selected text is permanently removed from view once the document is closed.
Keep an unredacted duplicate and inspect the saved copy before sharing it. Preview's Redaction Selection tool is designed for selectable PDF text, so do not assume that drawing over an image, signature, or other graphical element securely removes it.
Edit and convert images without another app
Preview is not designed for complex photo compositing, but it handles many common jobs involving screenshots, photos, scans, and images prepared for online forms.
6. Remove an image background
Open an image and click Remove Background. Depending on the toolbar layout, you may also find the command under Tools > Remove Background or use Shift-Command-K.
Preview analyzes the image and removes the background automatically. Subjects with defined edges and strong contrast generally produce the cleanest results.
If the original format does not support transparency, Preview may ask to convert the image to PNG. Choose File > Duplicate first when you need to retain the original file and format.
For more control, open the Markup toolbar, choose Selection Tools > Smart Lasso, and trace the subject manually. Apple's guide to removing backgrounds and extracting images covers both methods.
Fine hair, reflections, shadows, and backgrounds similar in color to the subject may still require a more advanced image editor.
7. Resize images to exact dimensions
Choose Tools > Adjust Size to change an image's width, height, or resolution.
Leave Scale proportionally enabled to preserve the original aspect ratio. Otherwise, changing one dimension without adjusting the other can distort the image.
Select Resample image when you want Preview to add or remove pixels. Reducing the pixel dimensions can lower the file size, but it also removes image data.
Preview displays an estimated resulting size in the Adjust Size window. This is useful when preparing an image for an email attachment or a website with an upload limit.
You can resize several images at once by opening them in the same Preview window, selecting them in the sidebar, and choosing Tools > Adjust Size. Apple documents the available controls in its guide to cropping, resizing, and rotating images.
Meeting an exact file-size limit may require several attempts using different dimensions and export-quality settings.
8. Convert HEIC, JPEG, PNG, PDF, and other formats
Choose File > Export, open the Format menu, and select an output type.
Preview supports formats including HEIC, JPEG, JPEG-2000, OpenEXR, PDF, PNG, and TIFF. The formats available can vary according to the source file and macOS version.
Choose the format according to how the image will be used:
JPEG: Photographs that need broad compatibility and relatively small file sizes
PNG: Graphics that need transparency or lossless output
HEIC: Efficient storage for compatible Apple devices and apps
TIFF: High-quality images for workflows that support larger files
PDF: Images that need to be distributed as documents
JPEG and JPEG-2000 exports include a quality control. Reducing the quality usually creates a smaller file but can introduce visible compression artifacts.
Preview can also convert multiple images in one operation when the files are open in the same window and selected in the sidebar. Apple lists the available options in its instructions for converting image file types.
Changing the format does not restore detail that has already been lost through compression or low resolution.
9. Add signatures, arrows, shapes, and text
Click Show Markup Toolbar to reveal Preview's annotation controls.
You can add:
Arrows, lines, rectangles, circles, and speech bubbles
Text boxes and notes
Highlights and magnification shapes
Freehand sketches
Saved signatures
To create a signature, click the Signature button and choose a method. You can sign with the trackpad, hold a signature written on paper in front of the Mac's camera, or use a nearby iPhone or iPad. Apple Pencil works when signing on a compatible iPad.
After creating the signature, select it, move it into position, and drag the handles to resize it. With iCloud Drive enabled, saved signatures can be available on other Macs connected to the same account.
A saved Preview signature works for routine forms and approvals. Use a managed electronic-signature service when a transaction requires identity verification, certificate-based signing, an audit trail, or other formal controls.
PDF and image annotations behave differently after saving. A normal PDF save or export preserves editable annotations. To flatten a PDF so that its markup cannot be moved easily, choose File > Print, open the PDF menu in the print dialog, and select Save as PDF.
Annotations added directly to an image may become noneditable after the image is saved. Duplicate the original before adding markup that may need revision.
10. Copy text from a photo or screenshot with Live Text
Open an image containing text, then move the pointer over the words. Drag to select the text, Control-click it, and choose Copy Text.
You can paste the result into Notes, Messages, Mail, or another app. If the words are not immediately selectable, choose Tools > Text Selection.
Preview's Live Text controls can also identify supported phone numbers, email addresses, websites, and other actionable information. Available actions and languages vary by region.
Live Text works best with clear, printed text. Handwriting, glare, small type, unusual fonts, and low-resolution images can reduce accuracy, so check copied text before using or sharing it.
Live Text recognizes text within an image, but it does not make Preview a full document-OCR application. The app does not provide a standard tool for processing an entire scanned PDF and saving a searchable text layer across all its pages.
Where Preview reaches its limits
Preview works well for routine document organization, annotations, signatures, quick image edits, conversion, and password protection. A more specialized application may be necessary for:
Editing text already embedded in a PDF
Reconstructing complex page layouts
Processing large batches of scanned documents with OCR
Converting PDFs into editable Word documents
Making detailed image selections or complex composites
Collecting signatures with identity verification and audit trails
Managing enterprise document controls or compliance workflows
Preview does not replace every professional editing tool. It does, however, cover many jobs that Mac users might otherwise send to a web converter or open in a larger application.
Before installing something new, check Preview's Markup toolbar, Tools menu, thumbnail sidebar, and export options. One of its built-in controls may already handle the task.
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