Preview, unable to cut and paste

Hi, I am translating a PDF manual. I want to cut the words, put in a translator and paste the translated words back in the document (lots of images between texts). I am not able to do this. I am sure I could before. I am on Tahoe 26.0.1 I got out my back up Mac mini running Sonoma but I couldn't do it there either.


The document is not locked / protected, I can't cut and paste with any PDF, even ones I have created.


If it is not possible, can someone recommend an on device (no cloud) PDF app that can, paid or free?


Many thanks

Posted on Oct 20, 2025 9:08 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 20, 2025 9:56 AM

Apple's Preview is not a PDF Editor, which is what you need to paste translations back into a PDF. Consider suitable products such as Code Industry's Master PDF Editor which is non-subscription and under 100USD. There are other choices in the Mac App Store.

7 replies

Oct 20, 2025 10:22 AM in response to VikingOSX

Thank you VikingOSX, Master PDF Editor seems quite good for my use case. I did search online but didn't see this one. I tried a few on the App Store but for various reasons were not for me. I would have liked Adobe, but for the few documents a year I might need it, the subscription was crazy. I know I could subscribe monthly and cancel. This app seems usable, with a reasonable cost and I think it's all on device.

Preview, unable to cut and paste

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