How to create a new PDF on a Mac
Make a new PDF on a Mac from a document, a scan, photos or anything you can print, with the apps you already have. Every way, matched to what you start from.
The problem
Someone asked you to send it as a PDF, and you have a document, a photo of a page, or just an idea, and no idea which app makes PDFs.
How do I make a PDF on a Mac?
From almost anything you can open: choose File > Print, open the PDF menu at the bottom left of the print window, and choose Save as PDF. Making PDFs is built into macOS; you do not need Adobe or anything else. See save anything as PDF.
How do I create a PDF from a document I type?
Write it in Pages or TextEdit. In Pages choose File > Export To > PDF; in TextEdit, File > Export as PDF. Pages has templates for letters, CVs and reports if you are starting from nothing.
How do I make a PDF from paper?
Scan it. With a scanner, Preview's File > Import from Scanner makes a PDF straight away. Without one, photograph the pages with your iPhone's Notes or Files scanner and send the PDF to your Mac. See scan to PDF on a Mac.
How do I make a PDF from photos?
Select them in Finder, Control click, and choose Quick Actions > Create PDF. See JPG to PDF.
Can I start a blank PDF?
Not as a blank file on its own, but you can add a blank page to a PDF in Preview with Edit > Insert > Blank Page. To write a document from scratch, Pages or TextEdit and then export is the better route.
Our take
Make the PDF last, from the file you can still edit. A PDF is a finished copy; keep the Pages, Word or photo original, because the next change is far easier there than in the PDF, and you will make one.
In Simply PDF
Simply PDF makes PDFs from pictures for free, and from Word, RTF, web page and text files with a key, all on your Mac.
Questions
How do I make a PDF on a Mac?
Choose File > Print in any app, then PDF > Save as PDF. Pages and TextEdit can also export to PDF directly.
Do I need Adobe to create a PDF on a Mac?
No. Making PDFs is built into macOS.