How to Change Your Default PDF Viewer on a Mac

Today, PDF documents have become the most popular files for sending, sharing, and editing, across the board. That is because the PDF file is easily compatible and portable. Despite its simplicity in sending and receiving, PDF documents can be difficult to edit, and requires software to do so correctly. 

 In fact, according to 6sense.com , around the world in 2023 over 27,614 companies are currently using one or more PDF Readers And Editors software. Therefore, finding a good PDF viewer app is critical for the optimal experience of your document. While your Mac comes with a default PDF viewer app, it does not contain the advanced functionality that many of us need for editing and exporting PDF documents.  The good thing is, the market offers a wide selection of PDF viewer applications, with a variety of tools and functionality for your specific needs. In this way, it is essential to find the best viewer for you, to make your work the most efficient it can be.

Lucky for you, we know all about the ins-and outs of PDF viewers. If you own a Mac and need to learn how to find and download the best PDF Reader, this is the article for you!  Continue reading for an overview into how to set up a PDF reader on your Mac. 

The Ins and Outs of a PDF Viewer

You have most definitely used a PDF viewer application before. In fact, each device (including Mac) comes with a basic PDF viewer application downloaded already, called the default PDF viewer. When you download or open a PDF, this is the application that is used to open the document. However, these default apps have limited capabilities, providing just the basic functionality to open and download PDF files.

  More advanced types of PDF viewing applications allow users to view the content of a file and add annotations, such as document edits. With the PDF viewer, a user can choose to display the content of PDF files in its entirety, make annotations, convert between different file formats, edit texts, merge PDFs, and more. Without the advanced PDF viewer, Macbook users are limited to only opening the document in a default PDF viewer. These default apps do not have the same advanced capabilities, and thus do not present the same experience. 

At the bottom line, the software for the default PDF viewer on Mac  is not advanced enough to allow annotations to be made to the PDF document. When a user must make edits to a document, such as correcting incorrect spelling, changing the date, or adding a signature, this can be very frustrating. It is wise to download an advancedPDF viewer with software designed for reading and editing documents properly, so the user never has to run into this issue. Other than the ability to edit a PDF document, PDF viewers hold more benefits for the user and their line of work. Read on to list the full line of PDF viewer pros. 

The Pros of Using an Advanced PDF Viewer

Safe and Secure 

Do you receive your W-2 forms, or annual tax information through email? Perhaps you receive financial statements online? With such sensitive information being shared through digital documents, it is essential that your PDF editing and viewing software is safe and secure. Therefore, when searching the market for the best PDF viewing software, look for software that contains a security method, such as document password encryption.

Highly Accessible

The most popular and best performing software at the end of the day, is the software that is the most accessible to a wider audience. No matter how advanced or tech-savvy an application is, if it is not accessible to the masses, it has low chances of becoming a household (or business) staple. PDF viewing software has a myriad of accessibility features, with most individual user versions being completely free. Business or enterprise versions usually require paying for premium features or admin console, but are still quite affordable. Additionally, PDF viewing software is available on iOS, Android, Mac and Windows devices, granting options for every user. 

A Team Favorite

Teams are working together from virtually offices more often than ever before. With your manager not able to physically hand you a document with text circled and underlined in pen for you to correct, how does document annotation get done? PDF viewing and editing software has collaboration embedded into its core. Send and receive documents from your coworkers via email, text, Slack, Line, and other collaboration applications. Collect necessary signatures from your coworkers, ask them for their feedback on a blog, and more, completely digital.

Customizable, Convertible, and Creative.

Perhaps the most impactful reason to switch from your device’s default PDF viewer to a new PDF viewer and editor is because of increased customizability. With these more advanced types of PDF software, a user can customize their PDF documents through a wealth of features. 

Just some of the possible ways a user can customize documents with a PDF viewer include:

• Deleting, adding, and reorganizing pages in a document based on personal need.
• Annotating important pieces of information in a variety of colored highlighters
• Making important notes with on-page comments 
• Extracting text from images and turning it into a PDF document.
• Adding watermarks to protect the images and documents 

Aside from this customizability, PDF viewer software contains a variety of options for converting digital documents into PDFs and other file types, and vice versa. These typically include:

• PDFs to Excel
• PDFs to Word 
• PDFs to Powerpoint 
• PDFs to Epub
• Image to PDFs 

And more. 

They Turn Hefty PDFs Into Fun Sized PDFs

We’ve all been in the situation where we have to upload a PDF, but it must be within a certain size. . . perhaps no greater than 250 kb? When this happens, how can we shrink the PDF while withholding the quality of the document? Advanced PDF viewers, such as PDF Reader, make compressing PDFs shorter, and sweeter. With the innovative file compression tools offered on this software, you can reduce your PDF to its optimum size with ease. 

How to Find the Best PDF Viewer for Mac

Now that you know the pros that utilizing a PDF viewing software offers, it should be a bit easier to choose the best PDF viewer. However, everyone’s types of work are different, and with this comes varying differences in preferences for specific software. Don’t worry, we understand, and we’re here to guide you. Stick with us to learn the best PDF viewer for you, available on Mac. 

How are your eyes? 

When choosing a PDF viewer, users must consider their own sight. Many users would prefer the readability level of their software to be strong, with an array of display preferences, features not offered on your default PDF app. These users should consider magnification and reading options to optimize their viewing experience, while maintaining a high quality of text. Choose a PDF viewer with the capability to maximize and minimize documents and text, while maintaining high-quality pixelation.

Were Your School Notes Covered in Highlighter? 

Visual learners, rejoice! There are many advanced PDF editors with the editable features to highlight text, strikethrough text, and leave little sticky note comments directly on a document. Even if you yourself don’t normally write all over your notes, annotations are still a key factor to consider when sharing and sending documents with others. For example, you can highlight the important pieces of information you need a colleague to read. This is especially important when sharing agreements, as highlighting the parts where signatures are needed can save confusion and conversation throughout the signature process. Of course, these annotations do not hide any text and do not impact a user’s readability.

Need to Edit and Emphasize Important Information? 

Each important document contains especially important information. Dates, page numbers, times, important graphics, and more are examples of content you might want to change. How can you edit and showcase this information in a seamless and efficient manner? Your PDF viewer application should have the formatting features to change this text overtime, and showcase it in a clear manner. These benefits are not established on your Mac’s current default PDF viewer, and is just another reason to find a more advanced option on the market. 

Need a Beautiful Interface? 

We see you, artists, designers, and perfectionists!. Your work area and laptop already has a clean aesthetic, so why shouldn’t the software that you utilize? A good PDF viewer should also be user-friendly and clean. A clean interface provides a seamless user experience, while eliminating the confusion and technical difficulties that can occur on your Macbook’s built-in PDF reader. Your PDF viewing software should carry the advanced business features listed already in an easy-to-use, minimal package. 

Our PDF Viewer Recommendation 

  We hope you now have a better understanding of what features your PDF viewer and editor should contain for it to be the best for you. If you still haven’t chosen an advanced PDF viewer, consider our recommended PDF application, PDF Reader. 

  PDF reader is the all-in-one PDF editing tool from Kdan Mobile. This software solution allows you to view, edit, convert, and sign PDF documents on Mac devices with simplicity and ease. PDF Reader contains the features for PDFs of advanced file conversion, document annotation, file password encryption, and more. Enjoy seamless user experience with simple and eye-catching interface, and read with ease though the eye-friendly reading experience. Even better, you can organize and share your files from your Mac to your phones and tablets efficiently! 

Although PDF Reader is an application near-and-dear to our souls, we really could not recommend the software enough. However, if you are still unsure if it is the PDF viewer for you, take it for a spin! Download PDF Reader for free today! Follow the steps below to learn how. 

How to Change Your Default PDF Viewer on a Mac

Before you install your new advanced PDF viewer, it is necessary to learn how to change your default PDF viewer on your Mac device. With over 20% of the world’s population using Mac devices, you are not alone. It is thus beneficial to understand how to change your default PDF viewer on your Apple computer. 

How to Set Up PDF Reader on Your Mac in Three Simple Steps

Method 1.

This is the simplest method of setting up PDF Reader on your Mac device: 

1. Right-click your chosen PDF file, and tap “Get Info.”

2. Click “Open With,” and select PDF Reader in the dropdown box.
3. Select “Change All…,” 

 Your new and improved default viewer is ready to go!

Method 2. 

You can change your default PDF viewer on a Mac by installing a new viewer, like our PDF Reader. Follow the simple steps below:

1. Download the installer.
2. Choose to run the program. 
3. Click “finish the installation.”
4. You’ll then open the app and choose “Yes” to make PDF Reader the default PDF viewer.

Method 3. 

You can utilize another method which only applies to opening a specific PDF file. In other words, only the specified PDF document will always be opened with the PDF viewer you selected. To follow this method complete these steps: 

1. Right-click on a PDF file and choose the “Open With” menu and then “Other…”

2. Choose your preferred viewer from the options. Ensure you check the box before you select “Always Open With.” 

3. You’ll then go to “Enable.” Choose “Recommended Applications” and select the PDF viewer you want to set as your default from the app list.

4. You can now open the PDF.

If you cannot find the PDF viewer you want to change as the defaulted one from the recommended app list, go to “Enable,” “All Applications,” and you’ll choose your desired PDF viewer.

Conclusion

We’ve covered a lot today on PDF viewer applications for Mac, so let’s overview. 

PDF viewers are utilized by over 92% of individuals, yet not all PDF viewers are built the same. While our Macs come with default PDF viewer applications, these tools only allow users to open PDF documents and download them. Most users need the functionality to edit, annotate, organize, and protect their PDF documents, which is where more advanced PDF applications come into play. 

 Advanced PDF viewer applications are one of the most sought-after business tools, as they contain the essential functionality features to directly edit text in PDF documents, encrypt security measures into important documents, establish fillable fields on forms, convert between a variety of file types, and more. Although there are a myriad of PDF viewer applications on the market for Mac devices, we recommend our very own PDF Reader. 

PDF Reader is a free, yet advanced, application from Kdan Mobile which grants users a wide variety of abilities to annotate their documents, convert them into other file types, share across devices, encrypt documents with password protect, edit viewing preferences, and far more. 

Finally, we overviewed how to set up PDF Reader on your Mac device in three easy steps, offering two additional methods of set-up as well. 

  That’s all the time we have for today, folks! If you have any further questions on the PDF Reader or how to download the PDF Reader onto your Mac, please contact our support team here. 

Now, go and download PDF Reader from the App Store today!