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Printing to PDF

How to save any document or web page as a PDF file on your computer

PDF is the universal format for sharing documents that look the same everywhere. Every major operating system has a built-in way to "print" anything to a PDF file. No extra software needed.

The trick: instead of sending something to a real printer, you choose a PDF option in the print dialog. The output is a file instead of paper.

Run the Printer Test

macOS has the best built-in PDF support of any operating system. The Save as PDF option works in every app.

Saving anything as PDF:

  1. Open the document, web page, or anything you want to save
  2. Press Cmd + P (or go to File > Print)
  3. In the print dialog, click the PDF dropdown in the bottom-left corner
  4. Choose Save as PDF
  5. Enter a file name, choose where to save it, and click Save

This works in Safari, Chrome, Pages, Word, Preview, and every other Mac app.

"Save As" vs "Print to PDF":

These are different things. Save As (or Export) in an app saves the file in its native format with editing capability. Print to PDF creates a flat snapshot of exactly what would print, preserving the layout but not the ability to edit text or data. Use Print to PDF when you want a universal, non-editable copy.

Combining PDFs with Preview:

  1. Open the first PDF in Preview
  2. Go to View > Thumbnails to show the page sidebar
  3. Drag additional PDF files from Finder directly into the thumbnail sidebar where you want them inserted
  4. Rearrange pages by dragging thumbnails up or down
  5. Go to File > Export as PDF to save the combined document

To merge only specific pages, open both PDFs in Preview, show thumbnails in each, and drag individual page thumbnails from one window into the other.

PDF form filling:

Preview can fill out most PDF forms. Open the PDF, click on form fields to type in them, and check boxes by clicking them. For forms that Preview can't handle, use the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between "Save As PDF" and "Print to PDF"?▾

In most cases, they produce similar results. "Save As PDF" (in apps like Word) tends to preserve hyperlinks, bookmarks, and text selectability better. "Print to PDF" creates an exact visual copy of what would print, which may flatten some of those features. Use Save As PDF in Office apps when the option exists, and Print to PDF for everything else.

Why does my PDF look different from the original document?▾

The PDF captures what would be printed, not what's on screen. Check your print settings for page size, orientation, and margins. Web pages in particular may look different because the print layout removes navigation, ads, and adjusts column widths. Use "Print preview" to check before saving.

Can I edit a PDF after creating it?▾

PDFs created by printing are essentially snapshots and aren't easy to edit. For basic text changes, you can use Preview on Mac or Adobe Acrobat. For major edits, it's better to go back to the original document, make changes there, and print to PDF again.

How do I reduce the file size of a PDF?▾

When printing to PDF, large images and complex layouts create bigger files. On Mac, Preview has a Quartz Filter > Reduce File Size option when exporting. On any platform, free tools like Smallpdf or iLovePDF can compress PDFs online. For sensitive documents, use an offline tool instead.

Can I password-protect a PDF?▾

On Mac, when saving as PDF from the print dialog, click Security Options to set a password. On Windows, you'll need a third-party tool like the free Adobe Acrobat Reader or LibreOffice (open the PDF, then export with password protection).