How to Insert Image into PDFs on Mac with Preview: Simple and Easy

Curious about how to insert images into PDF files using Preview on Mac? We understand that adding images with Preview isn’t always straightforward.

In this article, we’ll guide you through the steps to add images to a PDF using the Preview app and highlight its limitations.

Follow along with us to learn how it’s done.

Part 1. How to Insert Image into PDF with Preview on Mac?

Preview on Mac supports adding image into PDF, but it is not easy. I will guide you here step by step. Please do not ignore any step otherwise, you cannot successfully insert the image into your PDF.

Step 1. First of all, right click on the image, select "Open with" and click on the "Preview.app" to open it with preview on Mac.

Step 2. Right click on the PDF file, select "Open With" > "Preview.app" to open the PDF with preview.

Step 3. Drag them to adjust the window's size to make them to be viewed side by side.

Step 4. Now, click to select the preview window with image, hold on the "Command + A" to select the image, "Command + C" to copy and "Command +V" to paste in the image window. Now, You can drag the copied image object.

Now, you need to click on the coppied image object to select it, then, hold on the "Command + C".

Step 5. Head to the Preview app with PDF file opened. Click on the PDF file in the Preview app, hold on the "Command + V" to paste it.

Note: If you are not successful to paste the image to PDF, you need to go back to the image Preview window to click and select the image again, then, hold on the "Command + C" to copy it, then, back to PDF Preview window to click on the PDF file and hold on the "Command + V" to paste it.

Step 6. You can drag the side of the image to adjust the size and position. Save the PDF once it is OK for you.

Part 2. How to Insert Image as Page in PDF with Preview on Mac?

Sometimes, when you’re looking for ways to insert an image into a PDF, you may actually want to add it as a new page. In this case, you can also use Preview. Here’s a quick guide to show you how.

Step 1. Right click on the PDF, select the "Open with" and choose "Preview" app to open it.

Step 2. Now, click on the "View" > "Thumbnails" to show the thumbnail at the left side panel.

Step 3. Find the image on your Mac, click to select, and drag the image to the thumbnail to add the image to PDF.

Part 3. Why Not Recommend Using Preview to Insert Images into PDF on Mac

In fact, we do not recommend you to use Preview to insert images to PDF on Mac. Here are the reasons.

Part 4. A Better Alternative Method to Insert Image to PDF on Mac

The Preview app on Mac is not the ideal choice for effortlessly inserting images into PDFs; it's more suitable for smaller tasks like viewing the PDF files. UPDF for Mac might better meet your needs for inserting images or objects, providing a user-friendly experience.

UPDF for Mac is a unique and delightful PDF editor that allows you to easily add images to PDF on Mac. With UPDF, you can insert, edit, crop, rotate, and delete images in PDF. Just download UPDF for Mac via the button below and follow the guide below to add the image to PDF with Preview.

Method 1. Add as Image

This guide allows you to add the image in the PDF page.

Step 1. Download UPDF on your Mac computer. Open UPDF and click on the "Open File" button. After clicking the button, you'll be asked to choose and open the PDF file from your device.

Step 2. Now click on the "Tools" > "Edit" buttons at the left side. By clicking this button, you will enter editing mode, which allows you to add and edit the text, images, and links.

Step 3. Now it's time to add an image by clicking on the "Image" icon as shown in the image. 

After clicking the "Image" icon, you need to click your mouse anywhere you want to place the image.

After choosing the position, a pop-up will ask you to choose an image from your device. Select the image that you want to insert into your PDF and click "Open". The image will be added to your PDF document immediately.

Then you can adjust the image easily. This tool allows you to resize, reposition, crop, rotate, extract, or replace the image as per your requirement.

Alternatively, you can drag the image to the page where you want to add the image to add.

Method 2. Add Image as Page

You can also add the image to PDF as page. Here is the guide for you.

Step 1. Download UPDF to your Mac via the button below or via App Store. Then, open the PDF with UPDF on Mac.

Step 2. Click on the "Thumbnail" icon to reveal the thumbnail panel, then, drag the image to thumbnail panel to add the image as the page in the PDF. Click on the "Save" to save the changes.

Alternatively, you can click on the "Organize Pages" > "Insert" > "From Image" to insert the image as PDF page.

You can see it is easy to insert the image to PDF with UPDF on Mac. And UPDF is more than a tool for inserting images into PDF. There are many other advanced features in it. You can download it to try out other powerful features of it.

Here are some other features of UPDF:

1. Edit PDFs: Edit your existing PDFs like a pro. It gives you the environment like you are using MS Word.
2. Annotate PDFs: You can add text boxes, sticky notes, highlights, stickers, stamps, shapes, etc. 
3. Page Management: You can also insert pages to PDF in a few clicks with the help of a page management tool. You can also do other things like scaling, annotating, adding, deleting, etc.
4. OCR PDFs: The OCR feature can help you to scan the PDF easily to the editable PDF.
5. Convert PDFs: UPDF can convert PDF to Word, Excel, PPT, CSV, HTML, image, RTF, Text, XML, and PDF/A format fast and accurately.
6. UPDF AI: UPDF offers summarize, translate, and explain AI assistance to help you analyze PDFs more efficiently.

Below is the video tutorial on more features, and you can watch it if you are interested. Or you can read this review article from CultofMac to know more.

Part 5. UPDF vs Preview: Why UPDF is Better than Preview

Want to know why UPDF is better than Preview in detail? You can check the table below.

Conclusion

The Preview app on Mac is never the best option for you to insert images on Mac. If you still want to insert the picture into the PDF with Preview, you can follow the guide I showen above. But it is actually quite inconvenient to use and does not allow editing of images. That's why our recommendation is UPDF. It's a great tool and has all the professional capabilities an editor requires. You can not only add images to your PDF documents, but you can also resize, crop, replace, extract, or remove the images easily as per your requirements. Try it out now by downloading it.