How to save anything as a PDF on a Mac

2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 3 October 2026

Short answer

Open the document, web page or email and choose File, Print, or press Command-P. In the print window, click the PDF button at the bottom and choose Save as PDF. Give the file a name, pick a folder and click Save. This works in every app that can print, and needs no extra software.

A PDF looks the same on every device and cannot be changed by accident, which makes it the right format for sending an invoice, keeping a receipt of an online order or handing in an application. On a Mac, every program that can print can also create a PDF.

Menu names are from recent versions of macOS, where the settings app is called System Settings. The pictures of keys are simplified diagrams.

Step by step

  1. Cmd+PPrint

    Open the print window

    With the document, web page, email or picture open, choose File, Print in the menu bar, or press Command-P.

  2. Choose the pages and layout

    Set the options as you would for paper: which pages, portrait or landscape, how many pages per sheet. In Safari, switch off Print backgrounds and headers and footers for a cleaner result.

  3. Click PDF and Save as PDF

    At the bottom of the print window, click the PDF button, or the small arrow next to it, and choose Save as PDF.

  4. Name and save it

    Type a file name, choose the folder and click Save.

  5. Add a password if needed

    Before saving, click Security Options. You can require a password to open the document, and a separate one to copy text from it or to print it.

  6. Use the other options in the menu

    The same PDF menu has Send in Mail, which attaches the PDF to a new email, and Save to iCloud Drive, which makes it available on your other devices.

Good to know

Web pages often save better through Safari's own command: File, Export as PDF keeps the page as one long sheet, and Reader view first removes adverts and menus.

To turn photos or scans into a PDF, select them in Finder, right-click and choose Quick Actions, Create PDF. Or use our free tool, which works in the browser without uploading: JPG to PDF.

What you can do with the PDF next: combine PDF files on a Mac, make a PDF smaller, sign a PDF and annotate a PDF.

In short: File, Print (Command-P), PDF button, Save as PDF, name it, Save. Security Options adds a password. Works in every app that can print.

Sources
  • Mac User Guide: Save a document as a PDF on Mac

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