4 Ways to Make PDF Editable on Mac (Free Included)

PDF is an excellent format to make files professional looking at different occasions, it contains various elements and offers high security, however, it is not easy for people, especially for those who haven’t paid for a PDF editor to edit or modify the file. Then, how to make PDF editable on Mac, with or even without any PDF editor?

Here we offer 4 ways to make a PDF editable on Mac, with PDF editor or using a PDF converter. You can also find a solution on how do I make PDF editable on Mac even for free.

Use PDF Editor to Make PDF Editable on Mac

To make PDF editable on mac, a PDF editor is the first thing come into our mind. Yes, for sure, using PDF editor is the easiest way to make PDF editable and even edit PDFs directly. Speaking of PDF editor, Adobe Acrobat is always the first choice. But no worries, you can still find a free PDF editor to make PDF editable on mac for free.

#1 Adobe Acrobat

It is not likely that you’ve never heard about Adobe Acrobat. Adobe is the creator of PDF format, while Adobe Acrobat series are the tools designed by Adobe to edit, organize and manipulate PDFs easily. It is just a piece of cake to make PDF editable on mac with Adobe Acrobat.

Pros:

• Directly edit PDF texts with Adobe;
• Organize and manipulate PDF easily (merge, split, sign, protect, compress, OCR, etc.);
• Make PDF fillable;

Cons:

• Expensive;
• Take time and efforts to master the advanced features;

Steps to Make PDF Editable on Mac with Adobe

1. Open PDF with Adobe on Mac;
2. Go to Tools>Edit PDF;
3. Then the editing panel will appear, choose the editing tools to edit the PDF as needed;
4. Once ready, click on the Save button to save the file. Or you can go to Tools>Export PDF, then export the PDF to other editable formats on mac;

Notes: When importing a scanned PDF, Adobe OCR will process the file automatically and make it searchable & editable in Adobe.

#2 PDFescape

For users who haven’t decided to pay for Adobe Acrobat, online free PDF editor is another option to make PDF editable on mac. For example, PDFescape. It allows users to insert PDF text, image, create form fields, annotate and manipulate PDF pages for free.

Pros:

• Free;
• Easily make PDF editable on Mac;

Cons:

• File size limit (update to 10MB and 100 pages);
• Feature limited (cannot delete and replace original texts easily, unless you erase the texts first);
• Potential risks of information leakage;

Steps to Make PDF Editable on Mac for Free

1. Go to PDFescape;
2. Drag and drop the PDF for uploading;
3. Select Insert to add text, image or others to PDF;
4. Once ready, click the Save button or choose “Download” button to save the edited PDF to your mac;

Use PDF Converter to Make PDF Editable on Mac

Also, there are a great part of users choose to make PDF editable on Mac using a PDF converter, trying to export the PDF as editable Word or other formats, then editing with an existing word processor on their mac.

Benefits of Make PDF Editable on Mac with PDF Converter

1. The price is much more affordable than a PDF editor, from $29.99~$59.99;
2. Turn PDF into editable formats, such as searchable PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Keynote, Pages, etc;
3. The exported file can be easily edited in an existing word processor, no need to install and pay for another PDF editor;
4. It is much easier to use;
5. Basically meet all your needs to convert PDFs;

#3 Enolsoft PDF Converter with OCR

Enolsoft PDF Converter with OCR is a mac program allowing users to export both native and scanned PDFs into different editable formats, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Pages, Keynote, Text, ePub, HTML and Rtfd, so users can edit files easily even without installing a PDF editor.

Free Download

Pros:

• More affordable;
• Export PDF as different editable formats;
• Convert image and scanned PDF to editable formats;
• Batch convert;
• Easy to use;

Cons:

• Cannot edit the PDF text directly;
• Need to save back to PDF after editing in other word processor, if necessary;

Steps to Make PDF Editable on Mac with Enolsoft

1. Download and install Enolsoft PDF Converter with OCR;
   Free Download
2. Import PDF files to the program.
   You can directly drag and drop, or click “+” icon to upload single or multiple files;
3. Prepare to make to PDF editable on mac.
   For native PDFs, you just need to choose the page and output as Word or other formats;
   For scanned PDFs, you need to turn the OCR feature ON, then choose output as PDF or other formats as needed;
4. Once ready, click “Convert” to make PDF in editable formats on mac.

Notes: Enolsoft PDF Converter with OCR also supports protected PDF files. If there is a lock icon appearing, click the lock icon to enter password first, then you will be able to make the protected PDF in editable formats on mac.

#4 Convertio

In the case that you just need to make PDF editable on mac for once or several times, you can use online free PDF converters. There are quite a lot of online pdf converters available, but here we recommend Convertio, a free tool to make both native and scanned PDFs in editable formats.

Pros:

• Free to use;
• Convert native and scanned PDFs to editable formats;
• Easy to use;

Cons:

• Unstable conversion quality;
• Potential risks of information leakage;

Steps to Make PDF Editable on Mac for Free

1. Go to Convertio;
2. Click Choose Files to upload PDF;
3. Then choose output as Docx or other editable formats;
4. Once ready, click “Convert” to make PDF in editable formats on mac;

Notes: To make scanned PDF editable on mac for free, you need to go to Convertio OCR and follow the instructions to convert.

Can I Make PDF Editable in Preview Mac?

Yes, but it is quite limited to make PDF editable in Preview.

If you are Mac users, you must have utilized Preview to open and organize PDF & image files. Though it is quite limited for users to edit PDF with Preview, there are 2 ways you can make PDF editable with Mac Preview.

Method #1 Add Text to PDF

1. Open PDF with Preview;
2. Then go to “Show Markup Toolbar”;
3. Click the Text toolbar and add texts as needed;
4. Once ready, go to File>Save to save the edited PDF on mac;

Notes: If you need to replace some texts in PDF, you need to select the border color and fill color as White first, then go to Shapes, draw a rectangle and drag to the place where you need to replace the existing texts. Lastly, go to Text to add texts as needed.

Method #2 Paste PDF to Word or Pages Document

1. Open PDF with Preview;
2. Copy all the PDF contents and paste to a Pages or Word document;
3. Then edit in Pages or Word file if needed;
4. Go to File>Save as and choose PDF as the output;

Notes: These 2 methods apply to native PDF only, mac Preview cannot make scanned PDF editable on Mac.

Conclusion

To make PDF editable on mac, you don't have to pay for an expensive PDF editor, there are other choices, online free PDF editor or PDF converter are both worth a try, they will surprise you in another way.