How to Add Text to a PDF on Mac: New Text and Text Boxes

Need to add a date, caption, or short paragraph to a PDF on your Mac? First decide whether the words should become page content or remain a text annotation. UPDF supports both; Preview provides a built-in way to place text-box annotations.

This guide focuses on adding new text. If you need to change words already printed in the document, see our guide to editing existing PDF text on Mac.

Part 1. Choose the Right Way to Add Text

Part 2. Add New Page Text with UPDF

Use this method when you want a separate text object, such as “Revised 27 October 2026” in an empty area of a report. The new object does not automatically reflow the surrounding page content.

1. Open your PDF in UPDF on your Mac. Keep an unchanged copy if you will need the original.
2. Select Edit from the top, then choose Text in the top toolbar.
3. Click the position where the new text should appear and start typing.
4. Adjust the font, size, color, and alignment. Reposition or resize the text object so it does not overlap nearby content.
5. Choose Save. Reopen the saved PDF to check the result.

Try the new-text workflow with UPDF. The free trial adds a watermark when you save; use a licensed version for watermark-free output.

Part 3. Add a Text Box or Text Comment with UPDF

For a review note or a label that should remain an annotation, open Comment from the top with UPDF. Choose Text Box for a container with border and background options, or Text Comment for a text annotation without a boxed callout style.

1. Select Text Box or Text Comment and choose the available text style settings.
2. Click the page, type your text, and position it beside the relevant content.
3. Adjust the font, color, size, and—when using Text Box—the border and background.
4. Choose File > Save, then check the annotation in the PDF viewer your recipient will use.

These tools add annotations; they do not replace the original paragraph underneath. For handwriting and other markups, see how to write on a PDF on Mac.

Part 4. Add Text for Free with Preview

For an occasional text-box annotation, Apple’s Preview is a free option already included with macOS. Its Markup tools add text over the page, but do not edit the PDF’s existing body text.

1. In Finder, Control-click the PDF and choose Open With > Preview.
2. Click Show Markup Toolbar, then select Text.
3. Replace the placeholder in the inserted text box with your words, then drag the box to the required position.
4. Use the text style controls to adjust the font, size, color, and alignment. Resize the box if necessary.
5. Choose File > Save and reopen the file to confirm the text appears correctly.

Preview inserts a text box when you select Text; you then move it into place. Do not expect to click an original sentence and rewrite it. If the PDF contains interactive form fields, click the field first instead of placing a text annotation over it. See how to type on a PDF on Mac for the form-filling workflow.

Part 5. Check Your PDF Before Sharing

1. Reopen the saved file and check spelling, line breaks, font appearance, and overlap at a readable zoom level.
2. If you added an annotation, check it in the recipient’s viewer before sending a document that depends on its placement.
3. Retain the original PDF so you can return to it if the layout changes.

Scanned PDFs: You can place new text or a text box over a scanned page without first recognizing the image’s text. OCR is relevant when you need to recognize and edit the words already captured in the scan. Use the existing-text editing guide for that task.

FAQs About Adding Text to PDFs on Mac

Conclusion

Choose UPDF’s editing tool for a new page-text object, or a comment tool for a visible note. For a simple free annotation, use Preview’s Text tool. Once the addition is saved and checked, explore UPDF PDF editing tools if you also need to revise existing page content.