Microsoft Edge browser and the Preview app act as the default PDF reader on Windows and Mac, respectively. Microsoft and Apple have improved their PDF capabilities with new add-ons. The built-in desktop apps are capable enough that most won’t need a dedicated third-party app to open and edit a PDF file. Read along to learn to edit and fill a PDF without Adobe Acrobat.
Although Adobe Acrobat is a feature-rich PDF reader app on Windows and Mac, it comes with a recurring cost. Besides, not everyone needs a third-party PDF solution like Adobe Acrobat in their daily routine. You can use Microsoft Edge on Windows, the Preview app on Mac, or Microsoft Word to edit PDFs for free. Let’s check them in action.
Edit PDF Documents Without Adobe Acrobat on Mac
There is no shortage of capable third-party PDF apps on Mac. However, if you edit a PDF once in a while, the Preview app should meet all your needs. Let’s check it in action.
Step 1: Open Finder on Mac. Double-click on a PDF file to open it in Preview.
Step 2: macOS detects an autofill form and shows an option at the top. Select Autofill Form.
Step 3: The PDF detects fillable fields in the file and shows suggestions. If you don’t see an option to autofill a form, click the pen icon at the top to expand editing tools.
Let’s check all the PDF editing options in order.
- Text: You can click anywhere on PDF and enter text. You can also tweak text size, color, apply bold or italic effects, and make other tweaks.
- Redact: Lets you hide confidential and private information on a PDF file.
- Sketch: You can sketch on a PDF file. When you draw anything on a PDF, you see an option to convert it into a shape.
- Draw: This lets you do free-style drawing on a PDF file.
- Shapes: Expand the shapes menu and add a square, circle, arrow, comment, star, and more.
- Signature: Expand the signature menu and create a new sign. Preview app stores your signatures and lets you use them on all files.
- Note: You can add a note to your PDF file.
After you make changes, close the Preview window to save it. As you can see from the list above, the Preview app has useful editing features to fill out any form on your Mac.
Edit PDF for Free on Windows
You can use the default Microsoft Edge browser on Windows to fill out a PDF. Here’s how.
Step 1: Press the Windows + E keyboard shortcut to open the File Explorer.
Step 2: Before you open a PDF file, set Microsoft Edge as the default PDF reader. You can right-click on a file and expand Open with. Select Microsoft Edge.
Step 3: Check the PDF editing options at the top.
- Highlighter: You can highlight important sections on a PDF file.
- Text: Hit the T icon at the top and enter text on your PDF file. When you type text, Microsoft Edge offers several editing options. You can change color, increase or decrease size, and adjust the gap between two characters in a PDF file.
- Draw: The option lets you draw on a file. It’s quite handy on Windows devices with a stylus support.
Step 4: Make necessary changes to your PDF file and hit the print or save button at the top.
Use Microsoft Word to Make PDF Editable
Are you a Microsoft 365 subscriber? You can use Microsoft Word on Windows or Mac to open a PDF file, edit it, and save it in the PDF format. Let’s take Microsoft Word for Mac as an example.
Step 1: Launch Finder on Mac and right-click on a PDF file. Select Microsoft Word.
Step 2: The system converts a PDF file into a Word file and opens it.
Step 3: You can use all the familiar text editing options from the top toolbar. Make necessary changes to the PDF file.
Step 4: Select File at the top and hit Save As.
Step 5: Pick a destination folder on Mac, rename the file, and change the file format to PDF. Click Save, and you are good to go.
Edit PDF on the Web
You can also use web-based PDF editors and fill out a form without Adobe Reader. Before you upload your PDF file to any web service, read their privacy policy. After all, you won’t want to upload confidential PDF files to unknown sources. Here are a couple of options to fill out a PDF.
Avoid Expensive PDF Apps
Thanks to the built-in PDF readers on Windows and Mac, you can open PDFs and use the Adobe Reader only when you need to fill a PDF form. Which app do you prefer to get the job done? Share your preference in the comments below.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
