A Preview alternative for Mac when one file at a time is too slow
By Himanshu Ranjan · Updated 8 November 2026
Preview is free and handles viewing, signing, merging and simple exports well, so most people should keep it. If you need the same job on dozens of files, PDF size targets, OCR or tools Preview lacks, FileDial adds 525 tools to Finder for $20 once after a 1-day trial. For automating a single step, Finder Quick Actions are free.
Why people look for a Preview alternative
- Batch work is limited. Apple's guide shows converting or resizing several images by selecting them in one window's sidebar, which works, but there is no way to compress 40 PDFs in one step.
- PDF compression is one filter. Export with the Reduce File Size Quartz filter, and Apple itself warns the result may look worse, with no way to aim for a size like 'under 10 MB'.
- Edits save automatically. Apple's combine guide suggests File › Duplicate first if you want to keep the original PDFs.
- It does not do video or audio, and its PDF tools stop short of things like OCR to a searchable PDF, page numbers or Bates numbering.
About Preview: Apple's built-in Mac app for viewing, annotating, signing and exporting PDFs and images. Platforms: Mac, included with macOS. Price: Free with macOS. Where files are processed: Processed on your Mac. Apple notes that changes to Preview documents are saved automatically.
Every Preview tool, and its FileDial equivalent
| Preview | FileDial (offline) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| File › Export (change format) | Convert › Convert to JPG | Also Convert to PNG, HEIC, TIFF, WebP and AVIF |
| Tools › Adjust Size | Resize › Resize… | Presets such as Resize to 1080 px and Resize to 50% |
| Crop | Adjust › Crop and rotate… | Free or fixed ratio, saves a new copy |
| Rotate | Adjust › Rotate left | New copy beside the original |
| Markup toolbar on images | Markup › Edit photo… | Text, arrows, shapes and pen, saves a new copy |
| Drag thumbnails to combine PDFs | Combine › Merge PDFs | One new PDF in selection order; by name or date also available |
| Reduce File Size Quartz filter | Compress › Compress PDF | Images at 144 dpi, text stays selectable; light and strong versions too |
| Encrypt on export | Sign & Lock › Add password… | New copy beside the original |
| Fill out PDF forms | Sign & Lock › Fill form… | Type into the form's fields, saves a new copy |
| Sign a PDF | Sign & Lock › Place signature… | Image signature, not a certificate signature |
| Reorder pages in the sidebar | Organize › Reorder pages… | "5, 1-4" moves page 5 to the front |
| Delete pages in the sidebar | Organize › Delete pages… | New copy beside the original |
What FileDial does not replace:
- Viewing and reading: Preview is a full document viewer with search, annotations and page thumbnails. FileDial runs tools on files; it is not a viewer.
- Hands-on page editing: dragging pages between open documents and seeing the result immediately is easier in Preview.
- Cost and availability: Preview is free and on every Mac, including Intel Macs and older macOS versions FileDial does not support.
Details about Preview come from its own website, checked 2026-11-09. FileDial tool names match the app exactly.
The best Preview alternatives for Mac
1. FileDial
FileDial is our app. It sits in Finder rather than replacing Preview as a viewer: select files, hold the right Option key and pick a tool. It adds what Preview lacks, such as Compress › Email-safe (under 20 MB), OCR › Make searchable, Pages › Add page numbers and Pages › Bates numbering…, plus 134 video and 84 audio tools. A 42 MB PDF compressed or OCR'd in about 2 seconds on a MacBook.
- Batches of PDFs and images in one step
- Size targets and OCR
- Results saved as new files, with Undo
- Not free after the 1-day trial
- Needs macOS 14 or later on an Apple silicon Mac (M1 or newer)
- Mac only, no web, Windows or phone version
- Not a viewer; you will still open files in Preview
2. Finder Quick Actions and Shortcuts (built into macOS)
Select files in Finder, Control-click, and Quick Actions offers built-in actions such as Rotate, Create PDF and Convert Image (pick a format and size, for example HEIC to JPEG), and you can add your own from the Shortcuts app. It is the free way to batch one repeated step without opening Preview.
- Free and built in
- Works on many files from Finder
- Custom actions through Shortcuts
- You build anything beyond the basics yourself
- No PDF size targets or OCR out of the box
3. ImageOptim
Preview can lower JPEG quality on export, but ImageOptim is built for shrinking images without visible change. Drop a folder on it and it optimizes JPEG, PNG, GIF and SVG and strips private metadata.
- Free and open source
- Folders in one drop
- Images only
- No HEIC, WebP or AVIF listed
Preview is better than most people think
Before replacing Preview, know what it already does. It merges PDFs by dragging thumbnails, reorders and deletes pages, fills and signs forms, adds a password on export, converts images between HEIC, JPEG, PNG, TIFF and more, and resizes several images at once from the sidebar. For a lot of people that is everything they need, and it costs nothing.
So the honest answer to 'what is better than Preview' is usually nothing, for one file. The gap opens with volume and with a handful of specific jobs.
Where Preview runs out
Batch PDF work is the clearest gap. Preview opens one PDF per window and exports one at a time, so compressing a month of scanned invoices is a long afternoon. Its only compression preset is the Reduce File Size Quartz filter, which Apple notes may reduce quality, with no way to aim for an email limit.
The other gaps are missing tools: making a scanned PDF searchable, adding page numbers or headers, Bates numbering, redaction that truly removes text, and anything involving video or audio.
Compress a folder of PDFs in FileDial
This is the job that most often sends people looking for a Preview alternative.
- Select all the PDFs in Finder.
- Hold the right Option key and move to Compress.
- Release on Compress › Compress PDF for images at 144 dpi with selectable text, or on Compress › Email-safe (under 20 MB) if they need to fit an email.
- Each result is saved beside its original, so Preview's auto-save habit never catches you out, and Undo removes the copies.
When to just stay with Preview
If you work on one or two files at a time and the tools above are not on your list, stay with Preview and use Finder Quick Actions for the occasional repeated step. FileDial is worth $20 when batches are routine, when you need OCR, numbering or size targets, or when you would otherwise upload files to a web tool to get those features.
Questions
Can Preview batch convert images?
Yes, to a point. Apple's guide says to open the images in one Preview window, select them in the sidebar, then choose File › Export to convert or Tools › Adjust Size to resize. It works well for a few dozen files. For larger folders, the Convert Image Quick Action in Finder is quicker, and FileDial adds WebP and AVIF.
Can Preview compress a PDF to a specific size?
No. Preview offers the Reduce File Size Quartz filter and manual options such as optimizing images for screen, and Apple notes the result may look worse. There is no setting for a target like 10 MB. FileDial has Compress › Compress under 10 MB and Compress › Compress to size…, which split the file into parts if it cannot get there.
Does Preview do OCR on scanned PDFs?
Apple's Preview guide does not describe a tool that adds a searchable text layer to a scanned PDF. macOS Live Text can let you select text in some images, but that is not the same as saving a searchable PDF. FileDial's OCR › Make searchable adds an invisible text layer to pages without text.
Is there a free alternative to Preview on Mac?
For the jobs Preview does, Preview itself is the free answer, helped by Finder Quick Actions and Shortcuts for repetition. For image compression, ImageOptim is free and open source. Paid tools make sense only when you need batch PDF work, OCR, numbering or size targets that the free options lack.