← All guides

How to annotate a PDF on a Mac: every Markup tool in Preview

Annotate a PDF on a Mac for free in Preview: highlight, add text, notes, shapes and signatures. What every Markup tool does, and how to make notes that stay.

You can annotate a PDF on any Mac for free in Preview: open it, press Shift Command A to show the Markup toolbar, and pick a tool. Here is what each one does, and the one thing to check before you send an annotated file.

How do I annotate a PDF on a Mac?

  1. Open the PDF in Preview.
  2. Choose View > Show Markup Toolbar, or press Shift Command A.
  3. Pick a tool, such as Text, Shapes or Note, and click on the page. More on adding text to a PDF.
  4. Choose File > Export as PDF to save an annotated copy.

How do I highlight text in a PDF on a Mac?

Select the text with the pointer, then click the highlighter button in Preview's toolbar. Its arrow picks the colour, and also offers underline and strikethrough. How to highlight a PDF on a Mac covers removing highlights and PDFs that will not highlight.

What does each Markup tool do?

From left to right. The exact set varies a little between macOS versions.

Selecting

  • Text Selection: select text to copy or highlight.
  • Rectangular Selection: select an area, then crop with Command K or copy it.
  • Redact: mark text or areas to be permanently removed when the file is saved.

Drawing and shapes

  • Sketch: draw freehand; rough shapes become clean ones.
  • Draw: freehand lines that respond to pressure, on Force Touch trackpads.
  • Shapes: rectangles, ovals, lines, arrows, stars, speech bubbles and the Loupe magnifier.
  • Text: add a text box anywhere.

Signing and notes

  • Sign: create and place signatures.
  • Note: add a sticky note comment.

Style

  • Line thickness, border colour and fill colour for shapes and drawings.
  • A: font, size and colour for text boxes.

Why do my annotations not show for someone else?

Because Preview's markup is saved as annotations on top of the page, and some apps that open PDFs hide them or show them differently. Before you send, open the saved copy in another app, such as a web browser, and check your notes are there. The same thing makes signatures disappear.

Beyond Preview

Simply PDF's editor writes highlights, boxes, notes, drawings and signatures into the page on save, so they show in every app, and it can change the existing text too. Editing needs a key; opening and reading are free.

Questions

How do I annotate a PDF on a Mac for free?

Open it in Preview, press Shift Command A to show the Markup toolbar, and use Text, Shapes, Note or the highlighter. Export a copy when you are done.

How do I show the Markup toolbar in Preview?

Choose View > Show Markup Toolbar, or press Shift Command A.

Why is the Draw tool missing?

Draw appears only on Macs with a Force Touch trackpad. Use Sketch instead.

More guides