How to add a text box to a PDF on Mac
For the label, the caption, and the answer in a form that has no fields in it.
A text box is the answer to a surprisingly common problem: a document that needs words added in a place its author never anticipated. A printed form scanned back in. A drawing that needs a label. A report page that needs a caption under a figure.
Text boxes is part of Premium, so it carries a small lock in the document actions panel and in the menu bar. The lock is a label rather than a barrier — you can open the feature and see what it does before deciding to unlock it. Reading and every page operation stay free.
Adding one
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Choose the text tool
From the pill along the bottom of the window.
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Drag out the box
Where the text should go, at roughly the size it needs. You can resize it afterwards.
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Type
Set the size, weight and colour so it sits with the document rather than shouting over it — unless shouting is the point.
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Position it
Drag the box to nudge it into place. On a form, lining the text up with the printed rule underneath is what makes it look filled in rather than annotated.
Three things a text box is not
| It is not | Because | Use instead |
|---|---|---|
| Editing the document's text | A text box sits on top of the page; it does not change the words underneath. | Edit text in a PDF |
| A form field | Nobody else can tab into it or fill it in. It is your text, placed by you. | Build a fillable form |
| A comment | It prints as part of the page rather than reading as a remark about it. | Add a note |
Filling in a form that has no fields
Plenty of “forms” are just lines printed on a page. If the document has real form fields, fill those — they are designed for it and they save back properly. If it does not, text boxes are the practical answer: place one in each blank, type the answer, and the finished document prints exactly as though it had been filled in by hand, only legibly.
Text boxes are fine when you are completing a form once. If the same document will be sent to ten people, build real form fields instead. They tab in order, they can be checked, and each person's answers save back into the file without anyone having to place boxes by hand.
Making a text box permanent
Like every annotation, a text box can be moved or deleted by whoever receives the document. If it must stay exactly where it is — a completed form being returned, a labelled drawing going into a record — flatten the document. That fixes it into the page, at the cost of the page becoming a picture.
Frequently asked questions
How do I type on a PDF on a Mac?
Use the text tool from the pill along the bottom: drag out a box where the words go and type. It works anywhere on any page.
Can I fill in a PDF form that has no fields?
Yes. Place a text box in each blank and type the answer. If the document does have real fields, fill those instead — they save back properly.
Does a text box change the document's own text?
No. It sits on top of the page. To change the words that are already there, edit the text itself.
Will a text box print?
Yes. It prints as part of the page, which is the main difference between a text box and a note.
Can I stop someone moving my text box?
Flatten the document. That fixes every annotation permanently into the page — and turns those pages into pictures, so their text stops being selectable.