The best free PDF tools for Mac
By Himanshu Ranjan · Updated 8 November 2026
Preview, built into macOS, is the best free PDF tool for Mac: it annotates, signs, fills forms, merges pages and reduces file size. Adobe Acrobat Reader is free for viewing, commenting and signing. Skim is a free, open-source reader for annotating papers, LibreOffice Draw makes limited edits, and Finder Quick Actions create PDFs from selected files.
How we chose: FileDial is our product, so read this list with that in mind. We chose picks for free PDF tools from each vendor's own published information (product pages, pricing pages, support docs and privacy statements), checked on 2026-11-09, plus FileDial's own documented behavior. We did not lab-test every tool or run size or speed benchmarks on the others, so we quote no numbers for them. Order reflects fit for this search, not who made the app. FileDial is not free after its 1-day trial, so it is not one of the picks; we mention it once below for comparison. Checked 2026-11-09.
1. Preview (built into macOS)
Preview annotates with text, shapes, highlights and notes, adds signatures from your trackpad, camera or iPhone, fills forms, redacts selections, and adds, deletes and reorders pages. File > Export with the Reduce File Size filter makes a PDF smaller. Apple states you cannot edit the existing text of a PDF in Preview.
- Already on every Mac
- Signs, fills, annotates and rearranges
- Reduces file size
- Cannot edit existing text
- No OCR to make scans searchable
2. Adobe Acrobat Reader
Adobe says Acrobat Reader is free to download and use without a subscription. It views and prints PDFs, adds comments, highlights and drawings, fills forms and adds a signature. Text and image editing, conversion and compression need a paid plan. It needs macOS 10.15 or later.
- Free from the PDF format's creator
- Comments, form filling and signing
- Also on Windows, iOS and Android
- Editing, conversion and compression are paid
- Upgrade prompts for paid features
3. Skim
Skim is a PDF reader and note-taker for Mac, designed for scientific papers but useful for any PDF. You can add and edit notes, highlight with one-swipe modes, browse all notes in one place and export them as text.
- Free and open source
- Strong note and highlight tools
- Exports notes as text
- Reader and annotator, not an editor
- Mac only
4. LibreOffice Draw
LibreOffice runs on macOS 11 or newer on Intel or Apple silicon, and Draw can open a PDF so you can move or change individual text pieces and export back to PDF. The LibreOffice community describes this as limited: layouts can shift and text does not reflow.
- Free
- Can change existing text pieces
- Exports to PDF
- Layout can shift on import
- Large install
5. Finder Quick Actions (built into macOS)
Select files in Finder, Control-click, choose Quick Actions, then More and Create PDF, and enter a name. The Markup Quick Action opens a file in Quick Look with markup tools, and Rotate turns pages without opening an app.
- Works directly in Finder
- Makes a PDF from selected files
- No app to open
- Only a few actions
- No options for page size or order beyond selection
How we chose these free PDF tools
Every pick here is free to use with no trial clock: built into macOS, free from the vendor, or open source. We ranked them on how many everyday PDF jobs they handle, whether they run on the Mac, and how clearly they state their limits.
Preview comes first because it is already installed and covers signing, form filling, annotation, page rearranging and size reduction. Acrobat Reader is second for compatibility and commenting, Skim third for heavy readers, LibreOffice Draw fourth for the rare text change, and Finder Quick Actions fifth for making PDFs from files.
What free tools on a Mac can't do well
The gaps are consistent: editing existing text properly, making scanned PDFs searchable with OCR, converting PDFs to Word or Excel, and running the same job on many files at once. Preview and Acrobat Reader do not edit existing text, and Adobe lists conversion and compression as paid features.
If you hit those gaps often, a paid tool may be worth it. Adobe Acrobat Pro and PDF Expert are full editors. Our app, FileDial, is a $20 one-time purchase after a 1-day free trial that adds OCR, PDF to Word, compression with size targets, redaction and batch tools, all offline. Otherwise, the free tools here handle most occasional work.
Free online PDF tools: a word of caution
Many websites offer free PDF tools, and they cost nothing because you upload your document. In March 2025 the FBI's Denver field office warned that free online document converters are increasingly used to spread malware and that such sites can scrape personal data. In 2024 Cybernews reported that two online PDF services exposed 89,062 user-uploaded files, including passports and contracts.
Every pick on this page works on your Mac, so for most free PDF jobs there is no need to upload anything.
Quick recipes with Preview
To merge PDFs, duplicate the originals first, because Preview saves changes automatically. Open one in Preview, turn on page thumbnails from the View menu and drag other PDF files from Finder into the sidebar where you want them. To sign, use the Sign button in the Markup toolbar. To shrink a file, choose File > Export and pick Reduce File Size. Check the result before you send it, since Apple notes compressed files may be lower quality.
Questions
What is the best free PDF editor for Mac?
Preview is the best free all-rounder: it annotates, signs, fills forms and rearranges pages, but it cannot edit existing text. For changing a few words, LibreOffice Draw is free but can shift layouts. Acrobat Reader is free for commenting and signing; Adobe charges for editing.
Is Adobe Acrobat Reader free on Mac?
Yes. Adobe says Acrobat Reader is free to download and use without a subscription on Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. It views, prints, comments on, fills and signs PDFs. Editing text and images, converting and compressing require a paid Acrobat plan.
Can I merge PDFs for free on a Mac?
Yes, with Preview. Duplicate the files first, since Preview saves changes automatically. Open one PDF, turn on page thumbnails from the View menu, and drag the other PDF files from Finder into the sidebar in the order you want. Finder's Create PDF Quick Action also combines selected files into one PDF.
Sources
- Annotate a PDF in Preview on Mac, Apple Support
- Fill out and sign PDF forms in Preview on Mac, Apple Support
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
- Skim
- Combine PDFs in Preview on Mac, Apple Support
- Skim on SourceForge
- Perform Quick Actions in the Finder on Mac, Apple Support
- FBI Denver warns of online file converter scam
- Cybernews: online PDF maker leaks user documents