How to change the page layout and zoom of a PDF on Mac
Six ways to lay a document out and a zoom to match. Set it once and every document opens that way.
How a document should be laid out depends entirely on what it is. A contract wants one column and continuous scrolling. A magazine wants facing pages. A wide plan wants to be scrolled sideways. The inspector has all of them.
Layout and zoom is free and always will be. There is nothing to sign up for and nothing is watermarked.
The layouts
| Layout | Best for |
|---|---|
| Continuous | Reading straight through. Pages run one after another and you scroll without stopping. |
| Single page | One page at a time, with nothing of the next one showing. Good for presentations and for careful, page-by-page checking. |
| Two pages | Two side by side, scrolling together. Good for wide screens and for comparing facing pages of data. |
| Two pages (paged) | Two at a time, advancing in pairs. Closer to turning a spread. |
| Book | A spread, with the first page on its own so the pairs fall the way a bound book does. |
| Horizontal scroll | Pages side by side, scrolled sideways. The right choice for wide, landscape documents. |
Setting one
The inspector down the right of the window shows the layouts as a row of small icons under a preview, with the current one named underneath. Click one and the document rearranges immediately.
Zoom
| Zoom | What it does |
|---|---|
| Fit | Sizes the page so the whole of it is visible. The default, and usually right. |
| Fit width | Fills the window's width. The best choice for reading a text document, because the type gets as large as the window allows. |
| A percentage | Whatever you set. ⌘++ and ⌘+− step it, and ⌘+0 returns to fit. |
Each open document keeps its own zoom, so a plan you are reading at 200% in one tab stays at 200% while a report in the next stays at fit-width.
Whatever layout and zoom you settle on can be made the default for everything you open, in Settings. Most people have one answer for almost every document, and setting it once beats setting it every time.
Rotating the view versus rotating the page
If a page is sideways, there are two different fixes and it matters which you use. Rotating the view turns it on screen for you, right now, and changes nothing in the file. Rotating the page changes the document, so it is right way up for everyone who opens it afterwards — that is in Crop & Rotate, and it is free.
Frequently asked questions
How do I show two pages side by side in a PDF on a Mac?
Choose the two-page or book layout from the inspector on the right. Book puts the first page on its own so the pairs fall the way a bound book does.
How do I make a PDF fill the width of the window?
Use fit-width zoom. It is usually the best setting for reading a text document, because the type gets as large as the window allows.
What is the shortcut to zoom a PDF on a Mac?
⌘++ and ⌘+− step the zoom, and ⌘+0 fits the page to the window.
Can I set a layout for every document?
Yes. Whatever you choose can be made the default in Settings, and any individual document can still be switched without changing it.
How do I fix a page that is sideways?
Rotating the view turns it on screen without changing the file. Rotating the page in Crop & Rotate changes the document so it is right way up for everyone. Both are free.
Does each open document remember its own zoom?
Yes. Every tab keeps its own page, zoom and undo history.