How to Use the Preview App in Mac OS Mojave

Posted on 20th June 2023

Overview

The Preview app is a versatile tool that comes installed on every Mac. In this article, we’ll show you how to use the Preview app for some of the most common tasks, such as viewing images and PDFs, editing images, and more.

Viewing Images

Preview is the default app for viewing images on a Mac. To open an image in Preview, simply double-click on the image file.

Once the image is open in Preview, you can view it in different ways. To view the image at its actual size, click on the “Actual Size” button in the toolbar. To view the image at a larger or smaller size, click on the “Zoom In” or “Zoom Out” buttons in the toolbar. To view the image in full screen, click on the “View” menu and select “Enter Full Screen.”

Viewing PDFs

Preview is also the default app for viewing PDFs on a Mac. To open a PDF in Preview, simply double-click on the PDF file.

Once the PDF is open in Preview, you can view it in different ways. To view the PDF at its actual size, click on the “Actual Size” button in the toolbar. To view the PDF at a larger or smaller size, click on the “Zoom In” or “Zoom Out” buttons in the toolbar. To view the PDF in full screen, click on the “View” menu and select “Enter Full Screen.”

To quickly scroll through a PDF, click on the “Page navigation” button in the toolbar and then click on the “Next Page” or “Previous Page” buttons. To jump to a specific page, click on the “Page navigation” button in the toolbar and then enter the page number in the “Jump to page” field.

Editing Images

Preview is also a great tool for quickly editing images. To edit an image in Preview, open the image file and then click on the “Edit” button in the toolbar.

Once in edit mode, you can crop the image by clicking on the “Crop” button in the toolbar and then dragging the crop handles to the desired position. To rotate the image, click on the “Rotate” button in the toolbar and then select the desired rotation angle. To flip the image horizontally or vertically, click on the “Flip” button in the toolbar and then select the desired flip option. To resize the image, click on the “Resize” button in the toolbar and then enter the desired width and height.

To add text to the image, click on the “Text” button in the toolbar and then click on the image where you want to add the text. A text box will appear, allowing you to enter the desired text. To change the font, size, color, or alignment of the text, click on the “Format” button in the toolbar and then make the desired changes.

To add a shape to the image, click on the “Shapes” button in the toolbar and then select the desired shape. To draw a freehand shape, click on the “Freehand” button in the toolbar and then click and drag on the image to draw the shape. To change the color or line width of the shape, click on the “Format” button in the toolbar and then make the desired changes.

To add a comment to the image, click on the “Comments” button in the toolbar and then click on the image where you want to add the comment. A comment box will appear, allowing you to enter the desired text. To change the font, size, color, or alignment of the text, click on the “Format” button in the toolbar and then make the desired changes.

To save the edited image, click on the “File” menu and select “Save.”

Saving Images

If you just want to save a copy of the image without editing it, click on the “File” menu and select “Save As.”

Printing Images

To print an image, click on the “File” menu and select “Print.”

Closing Images

To close an image, click on the “File” menu and select “Close.”

Assuming you have Mojave installed, the first thing you’ll want to do is open up the Preview app. You can do this by either searching for it in Spotlight, or by opening it from the Applications folder.

Once Preview is open, you’ll be presented with a blank canvas. To open an image or PDF, simply drag and drop it into the app window, or go to File > Open and select the file you want to open.

If you’re opening an image, you’ll see a toolbar at the top of the window with a number of different editing options. These options will let you do things like crop, rotate, or annotate your image.

To crop an image, simply click on the Crop tool and then click and drag to select the area you want to crop. Once you’re happy with your selection, click the Crop button in the toolbar.

To rotate an image, click on the Rotate tool and then click the button that corresponds to the direction you want to rotate the image.

If you want to annotate an image, click on the Annotate tool and then select the type of annotation you want to add from the drop-down menu. Once you’ve selected an annotation, you can click and drag to place it on the image.

When you’re done editing, go to File > Export and choose the format you want to save the image in. You can also choose to save a copy of the image in its original format by clicking the Export button in the toolbar.

That’s all there is to using the Preview app! With a little practice, you’ll be able to quickly edit images and PDFs without having to open up a separate app.