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How to change the font in a PDF on a Mac

You can change the font of text you add to a PDF on a Mac, but Preview cannot change text already there. What works for each, and when to rebuild it.

The problem

The font in a PDF is too small, the wrong style, or does not match your other documents, and Preview will not let you change it.

Can I change the font of an existing PDF on a Mac?

Not with Preview. A PDF stores each piece of text with a fixed font and a fixed position on the page, so there is no setting that changes the font of the whole document. You change text you add; text already there needs rebuilding.

How do I change the font of text I add in Preview?

Click Show Markup Toolbar, select a text box you added, and click the A button. Pick any font installed on your Mac, a size and a colour.

How do I change the font of text already in a PDF?

  • Best: change the font in the original Word or Pages file and export a new PDF.
  • Without the original: convert the PDF to an editable document, change the font there, and export again. See PDF to Word.
  • One word or line: cover it and type over it. See edit PDF text on a Mac.

Why are only some fonts in Preview's list?

Preview lists the fonts installed on your Mac. Add more in the Font Book app, then reopen Preview.

Our take

If you are changing the font of a whole PDF, you are really making a new document. Find the original if there is any way to; a converted PDF almost always shifts line breaks and spacing somewhere, and the original is the only copy where changing a font is one setting.

In Simply PDF

Simply PDF's Rewrite as a document mode turns the PDF into text you type into like a note, with fonts, sizes and colours you choose, then rebuilds the PDF at the original page size when you save. It needs a key.

Questions

Can I change the font of an existing PDF?

Not in Preview. Change it in the original document, or convert the PDF to an editable document and export again.

Why are only some fonts available in Preview's text tool?

Preview lists the fonts installed on your Mac. Add more in Font Book.

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