When you are reviewing a digital PDF blueprint, a presentation slide, or an architectural photograph, you often need to point out specific details to your colleagues. While you could type an email attempting to describe the exact corner of the image you are talking about, it is far more efficient to simply type your notes directly onto the file itself. Using the default Preview app on macOS, you can quickly overlay custom text annotations and labels anywhere on a PDF or image file.
How to Access the Text Annotation Tool
The text tool is hidden inside Preview’s advanced markup interface.
- Double-click your image or PDF file to open it in Preview.
- Click the Markup Toolbar icon in the top right corner of the window (it looks like a small circle containing the tip of a pencil).
- A new horizontal toolbar will slide down below the main menu. Click the Text icon (a small square containing a capital letter ‘T’).
The moment you click the Text icon, Preview will instantly drop a small text box containing the word “Text” directly into the dead center of your document.
Formatting and Positioning Your Text
Because the text box drops into the center of the screen, you will likely need to move and format it so it does not obscure important parts of your image.
- Moving the Box: Click the edge of the text box (not directly on the text itself) and hold your mouse button down. You can now drag the box to any location on the document.
- Editing the Text: Double-click the word “Text” inside the box. It will highlight in blue, allowing you to type your custom annotation (e.g., “Move this logo higher”).
- Changing Fonts and Colors: While the text box is selected, look back up at the Markup toolbar. Click the Text Style icon (a capital italic ‘A‘). This drop-down menu allows you to change the font family, increase the text size, make it bold, or change the text color to a bright red so it stands out against the background of the image.
Adding Background Colors to Text Boxes
If you are placing text over a highly detailed, noisy photograph, changing the font color might not be enough to make it readable. You need to give the text box a solid background.
With the text box selected, click the Fill Color icon in the Markup toolbar (it looks like a small square box, usually located near the line thickness tools). Select a solid color, like white or yellow. This will instantly fill the transparent text box with a solid background, creating a high-contrast label that completely blocks out the noisy photograph behind it, ensuring your annotation is perfectly legible.