How to Edit PDF in InDesign for Mac

Elise Williams

2024-04-12 10:55:47 • Filed to: Edit PDFs on Mac • Proven solutions

InDesign by Adobe is one of the most popular applications which are used to create graphical images, edit them, and create all type of design that we see on the back of a book or a poster. If you are creating the cover of a book, you might need to edit PDF in InDesign. Normally, InDesign will not simply open or edit the PDF file, however, you can just link the PDF file in InDesign. If you scanned a PDF file, you can make an editable PDF InDesign on Mac OS X (macOS 11 Included). Here's the detailed guide on how to make an editable PDF in InDesign on Mac.

# 1: Best Way to Edit PDF in InDesign Mac
# 2: Best Alternative for InDesign

How to Edit a PDF in InDesign for Mac

To edit a PDF in InDesign for Mac, please follow the steps here:

Before you continue, you will have to open the PDF file In Adobe InDesign which is not easy as it seems.
Launch the Program on your computer and click on "File" and "Place".
Now, select the PDF file that you want to edit in InDesign.
Once the file is opened in InDesign, the next step is to edit the PDF File, as you will move the cursor of your mouse, you will see two circles on the page.
You can move the PDF file which will be shown as the Image as you want and can edit in any possible way in the program. After editing the file, you can save it by using the export option in Adobe InDesign.

Shortcomings of Using Adobe InDesign to Edit PDF:

You cannot adjust the length and size of the PDF file in Adobe InDesign.
There is no way to edit already present text in the PDF File, although, you can add or remove the text.
There is no way to convert PDF files to other document formats in Adobe InDesign
No option to Perform OCR on documents to convert scanned images to editable text.
No option to create PDF files from Word or other popular formats.

How to Edit PDF Using InDesign Alternatives

Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor is the best InDesign alternative to conveniently edit your PDF files. As the name of the application suggests, it is a wonderful program to edit PDF files in any possible way or manage PDF pages in various ways. Just like editing PDF in InDesign, you can add text to any place in the PDF file or replace the existing text with the new text, or can completely delete the text from the screen.

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The unique thing about using PDFelement is that you can also adjust the font, size, alignment of the text present in the PDF file. You can also edit and crop images without having to use third-party software.

That's not it! It will also let you draw different types of shapes on the PDF file and you can add one of the built-in stamps to the PDF document or will let you add images from different sources and you can resize or rotate the images present in the PDFelement. Unlike the InDesign application, in this application, you can even adjust the pages of the PDF file. Lastly, when you are done with editing, you can save the file or save it as a new PDF file that you want.

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PDFelement is compatible with macOS 10.12, macOS High Sierra 10.13, macOS Mojave 10.14, macOS Catalina 10.15, and macOS 11 Big Sur. So you don't have to worry about the compatibility issue. Here is a step by step guide to Edit PDF InDesign Alternative for Mac:

Step 1. Open PDF

Launch the Program on your Mac and you can either use the drag and drop option to open the PDF file or can directly click on the "Open" button and select the required PDF file.

Step 2. Edit PDF Text

You can click on the "Text" button to make modifications to your PDF files, including change the text, add new text to the PDF.

Step 3. Edit PDF Image

Just like text, enable the "Image" button and hit the "Add Image" icon in the new bar to add images. Now, you can click on any image to edit in any possible way. After adding the image, you can double-click the image to rotate, replace, crop, extract, and delete.

Step 4. Edit PDF Pages

Apart from editing the text or images, whole pages can also be moved, replaced, rotated, or inserted. Click on the "Organize Pages" button on the top-right menu bar and choose the options you want to make. Select any required option and select the criteria for the pages that you want to edit.

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