How to annotate PDFs on Mac? [2023]
Jackson Kustec
jackson@macro.com
When presenting a PDF to a client or C-suite, annotating key points to grab attention is crucial.
But – how can you annotate PDFs on Mac so that they look clean and fill your viewers with awe?
In this article, I walk you through 3 PDF annotation software you can leverage to mark PDFs easily.
How to mark up a PDF on Mac?
Picture this: You’re a construction manager and receive an architect's PDF blueprint of a new building project.
The architect wants you to highlight any required adjustments or safety concerns before submitting it to city planners for approval.
That’s where annotating comes into play.
You can point out your concerns with arrows, lines, and shapes.
Let me tell you about my favorite annotation tools. 👇
Method 1. Macro
Macro is an all-in-one PDF editor that you can use to annotate PDF and Word documents with ease. The software offers all major annotation features for free.
Here’s a video showing all the annotating features of Macro in action:
Read ahead if you want a step-by-step guide 👇
Step 1. Opening a PDF in Macro
Download and open the Macro app. Click the ‘Open a PDF or DOCX file’ button.
From your Mac, choose the file you want to annotate and press ‘return’ or click ‘Open’ to open the PDF in Macro.
Step 2. Annotate PDFs in Macro
Annotating a PDF involves adding extra layers of information to the existing content.
With Macro, you can add:
- Basic annotation – highlight, underline, strikethrough
- Text boxes
- Shapes
- Page numbers
- Signatures
- Images
- Watermarks
- Headers & footers
Let’s see these features in action.
Highlight, underline, and strikethrough
Starting with the most common annotation features, Macro lets you highlight, underline, and strikethrough PDF text.
Text boxes
Want to take notes or add information to existing PDF content? You can do this with Macro.
The platform lets you add text boxes anywhere in the PDF document.
Simply click the ‘Text Box’ button and click on the PDF where you want to add one.
You can change the style, size, and text color. You can also bold or italicize the added text.
Shapes
Adding shapes to PDF files isn’t just decoration – shapes draw attention.
Imagine you’re reviewing a business presentation before sending it to your clients.
Somewhere in the presentation, there’s a number that shows your quarterly revenue. Adding a rectangle around that figure will draw the client’s attention straight to it.
With Macro, you can add rectangles, circles, or triangles to your PDFs.
The platform lets you:
- Change the border color
- Fill or make the shape transparent
- Change border thickness
Page numbers
To keep content structured and improve navigation, add page numbers to your PDFs with Macro.
Adding page numbers helps ease discussions with team members.
‘See page 10 for details’ saves time and is much clearer than telling your team members the content they want to refer to is ‘somewhere in the middle.’
To enable Macro’s page number functionality, click ‘Page Numbers’ from the left-hand menu.
As soon as you click anywhere on the PDF’s first page, Macro marks that as page 1.
One cool feature I discovered while editing the page numbers was the snap to position feature.
This feature lets you move page numbers to the four corners, top middle, or bottom middle of any page, saving you time.
👀 Note: After adding the first page number to your PDF, Macro automatically numbers all the other pages in the document.
Signatures
When dealing with PDFs, businesses need to sign them all the time.
With Macro, you can draw or type your signature and place it anywhere in the document.
Here’s how to draw your signature in Macro:
- Click the ‘Signature’ button from the left menu bar
- Place the signature on the PDF
- Choose if you want to draw or type your signature
- Click Sign , and you’re done
Images
Add images to PDFs by uploading them to the document from your Mac.
Watermarks
To make the document recognizable, add a watermark to it.
Click ‘Watermark’ and upload your brand’s logo to personalize the PDF.
Headers & Footers
Headers & footers unify the document's look and make it easier to read.
Click on the ‘Header & Footer’ button from the menu and select the top or bottom of the PDF page. Type your header and footer in, and you’re done.
Method 2. Mac’s Preview app
Mac’s Preview app is another good tool to use when performing basic annotations on PDFs. It’s an inbuilt and default PDF opener for all Macs.
Here are the annotation features you get with the Preview app:
- Highlight, underline, and strikethrough text
- Draw shapes – rectangle, oval, line, arrow, polygon, or star
- Add text
- Add a speech bubble
- Take notes
- Add signature
Method 3. Adobe Acrobat app
Like Macro, Adobe Acrobat also lets you annotate PDFs comprehensively.
Here's what the free Adobe Acrobat’s annotation toolbars offer:
- Add text, comments, and sticky notes to the PDF
- Highlight, underline, and strikethrough text
- Draw freehand: lines, arrows, and several shapes
- Add text, cross marks, tick marks, and dots
- Add signatures
👀 Note: For features like watermarking or adding headers and footers, you’d have to buy Adobe Acrobat Pro…
Read and edit documents faster with Macro
Out of the three annotating methods I shared, the Preview app gives you the least amount of annotation features.
Adobe Reader is an old player in this sector, but it doesn’t give all its annotation features for free.
So, which tool gives you the best annotation features for free?
It’s Macro.
Download the free app and start annotating PDFs and much more!