How to rotate a PDF on a Mac.

Need to reorient your document? Learn three ways to rotate PDFs on your Mac.

PDFs are often created from scanned documents, which may not appear in the correct position in the digital file. You can rotate PDF pages to ensure that everything in the document is aligned, then save the file with the pages in the correct position so that other viewers can read the document more easily.

Two quick ways to make this easy edit are with the built-in Preview app on a Mac or with Adobe Acrobat online services. Both are free. Preview might be your default viewer, but Adobe Acrobat online services can also be accessed quickly and easily in your favorite internet browser.

A third way is to use a PDF reader, which is the easiest way because it doesn’t require an internet connection, and it saves changes automatically.

How to rotate a PDF in Preview on a Mac.

Double-click on a PDF file to open it in the Preview app, or right-click and select Open With > Preview.

To rotate one page using the toolbar icons:

1. Select the page.
2. Click the Rotate Left or Rotate Right button in the toolbar.
3. Click again to turn the page by 90 degrees until it arrives in the desired position.

To rotate one page using the menu:

1. In the menu bar, choose Tools.
2. Choose Rotate Left or Rotate Right.
3. Click again to turn the page by 90 degrees until it arrives in the desired position.

To rotate multiple pages at once:

1. Hold Shift and select pages in the document sidebar.
2. Click the Rotate button in the toolbar or choose a rotate option from the menu.

To rotate all pages:

1. Press Command + A.
2. Click the Rotate button in the toolbar or choose a rotate option from the menu.

Don’t forget to save your changes by clicking File > Save.

Rotate PDFs on Mac with a PDF reader.

Using a PDF reader like Adobe Acrobat is the easiest way to rotate a PDF on a Mac without needing an internet connection.

Once you open the PDF in the reader, follow these steps to rotate the document:

1. Click on the View tab on the top toolbar.
2. Hover over the Rotate View option.
3. Select either Clockwise or Counterclockwise.

This will rotate your document by 90 degrees in the direction of your choice, like landscape to portrait or vice versa. If you want to flip the PDF a full 180 degrees, just repeat the process a second time. Your changes will be saved for the next time you open the PDF.

Rotate a PDF online using a Mac.

If you don’t have a specific PDF reader installed on your Mac, you can open PDFs, rotate PDFs, share, and more with Adobe Acrobat online services. From any web browser simply navigate to the Rotate PDF tool in Acrobat online and follow these steps.

1. Click the blue button labeled “Select a file” and upload the document or drag and drop the PDF into the drop zone.
2. Select the pages that you want to rotate.
3. Click the Rotate Clockwise or Rotate Counterclockwise icon in the top toolbar.
4. Save and rename the PDF file.
5. Download the rotated document to your Mac or get a link to share it.

The entire process is done online, so you don’t have to download any additional apps or software to your computer.

Discover what more you can do and other ways you can alter and edit PDF files with Acrobat Reader and Acrobat online services to enhance your PDF experience.