Best Apps to Edit a PDF on a Mac
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For people in the professional or technical world, Macs are often considered the best PCs for work. Since not every program or file type is specifically designed to work on Macs, sometimes you will need special programs to work with certain files. This is true of PDFs but for a different reason. PDFs in general require a special type of editor called a PDF editor in order to work on them. The idea might sound complicated at first, but working on a PDF with a Mac is not a problem. Not only is it possible but in many instances, working on them on a Mac can be easier due to some of the support it offers. This is true not only of Mac computers but of other Apple-based devices as well. So why do we need to edit PDFs in general, and what do we do with them?
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
The future of file sharing
One reason PDFs are so ubiquitous is due to how easy it is to share them with other people. Data is king in the globalized world and that is especially true when you think about sharing data. Data sharing requires a few things. One it must be shareable; two it must be secure and three it must be done efficiently. Since PDFs are able to be encrypted and can be verified, they are secure, and they are easy to share through secure communications networks. There are other ways to share PDFs quickly such as through Google Drive. File sharing with PDFs is easier than with some other file types but to view them and interact with them, you will need a PDF editor that is already on your Mac or online.
The popularity of PDF editors
PDFs are popular for many reasons. The biggest reason being is what you can do with them. PDFs can be worked on and manipulated in ways that other files can’t. You can make simple fillable documents for others to fill out or you can make a catalog of artwork, by adding images and captions. PDFs are adaptable to almost any situation. In addition to this, PDFs are more secure than most document types. You can password protect a PDF plus you can use the e-sign tool to validate a PDF and make it an official document; furthermore, you can use a watermark to make sure people that do see your PDF know that it was yours and not someone else’s work.
The problems with using a PDF on Mac
There are some potential complications with working on your PDF while using a Mac but there does not need to be. Using a Mac ultimately won’t be a problem, but you need to make sure you have the right tools and know-how to operate the PDF editor on your Mac. Luckily, there are many options concerning editing a PDF on a Mac. One of those options is the Mac PDF editor which will already be on your computer. Besides that, there are many different PDF editors that work on a Mac.
5 best apps to edit PDF on Mac
There are many different apps you can use to edit PDFs on a Mac, but for some, the simplest choice might be the PDF editor on your Mac. Apple has developed their own PDF editor so that their users can work with PDFs without having to use an outside program. The only issue though is that compared to high-end PDF editors that are available online, there are some shortcomings. The Mac PDF editor is a good but not great PDF editor since it lacks some of the other tools that some have. On the plus side though is that even though it is a Mac PDF editor, once you save the file as a PDF it can be viewed on any device, not just a Mac. This means the file is still easy to share, but there are some other ways that might be more efficient.
Lumin PDF is a PDF editor that can work on a range of devices and comes with a wide selection of tools to use to edit PDFs. It does not come freely on a Mac device but is available for download and can be used to not just edit PDFs but to create them and manage and manipulate them in several other ways. The main draw of Lumin PDF though is that it is easy to share with others through Google Drive. Lumin PDF works with Google Drive, and this makes managing and saving your files, even on a Mac very easy.
Besides Lumin PDF, Adobe Acrobat is a very popular PDF editing application. Adobe Acrobat might be the PDF editing application that most people will have heard of. It comes with a huge selection of tools so if you are wanting a PDF editor that helps you create PDFs from scratch and has all the bells and whistles then this is the PDF editor for you. Although it comes in at a high price and features a learning curve, Adobe Acrobat is a great choice.
Smallpdf is an app that lets you edit PDFs, and it is one of the best and strongest in some specific areas such as the area of PDF conversion. Small PDF comes with more than this feature of course but its PDF conversion tool is considered top of the line. This is important since people who are working on a Mac often will need to convert a file into a PDF before they can work on it and send it to someone.
One of the other better PDF editing software that people work with is PDFelement. PDFelement is probably one of the easier PDF editors in terms of interface and learning curve. This makes it one of the better PDF editors for people who are new to working with PDFs. PDFelement is rather expensive but for the tools it offers, it’s fine for those who are not on a budget.
Read also: Best PDF Software for College Students
