Master Preview on Mac

Try these six secret features in the Preview app.

Author

Leander Kahney
August 12, 2025

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I guess I’m what you might call a “power user” of the Preview app — the Mac’s built-in tool for editing images and PDFs.

And by power user, I mean I’ve been using it almost daily for many, many years.

I mostly use Preview to edit and mark up images. The app handles a lot of basic image-editing tasks, including resizing images and saving them in different formats. It does basic color correction, and is my go-to for redacting sensitive info in images, like hiding email addresses in the reader comments below.

I also use it all the time to read PDFs and mark them up.

Frequently, I use Preview to sign documents. There’s no easier way to add your John Hancock to a PDF (and convert a document to PDF to make it easy to sign).

Preview is a very handy app, but after reading our guide to getting more out of it, I now realize I’m not really a power user after all. My usage just scratches the surface of what it can do. It’s like a lot of Apple’s mature apps these days: There’s a ton of functionality hidden under the hood.

P.S. Check the first X post below for a fun new Easter egg in the latest beta version of Preview in macOS Tahoe.

Also in today’s newsletter:

  • Prepare to be shocked by the raw, blazing speed of the latest iOS 26 beta. If Apple keeps this up, a lot of people will feel like they got a brand-new, super-fast iPhone in the fall.

  • Elon Musk is threatening Apple with legal action because his Grok app isn’t atop the App Store charts.

  • I’ve started to become obsessed with docks (the No. 1 accessory for MacBook owners like me). This speedy new Thunderbolt 4 dock from Plugable has perhaps every port you’ll ever need and is priced unusually low.

  • I’m not much of an iPad mini fan — the screen’s too small! — but this Amazon deal knocks a healthy 20% off.

  • This clever iPad charger bypasses the tablet’s only USB-C port in favor of charging via the Smart Connector. Many iPad keyboards use the Smart Connector, but I’ve never seen a charger that does. I wonder why we’ve not seen this before?

  • Today’s the day in Apple history that IBM launched the iconic IBM Personal Computer, launching a rivalry with Apple for the ages.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

6 tricks to master Preview on the Mac

Make the most of the built-in Mac image editor. These Mac Preview app tips give you new tools to work with documents and edit photos.

iOS 26 beta 6: All the new features and changes

The sixth iOS 26 beta expands Liquid Glass to more UI elements, adds new ringtones and brings a much faster app opening animation.

Elon Musk claims Apple unfairly favors ChatGPT app, threatens legal action

Elon Musk is angry that the No. 1 top free app in the App Store is OpenAI’s ChatGPT, not Grok.

A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team

iPad mini 7 sale saves you $100

Save on Apple’s most portable tablet. A new iPad mini deal on the 7th-gen tablet knocks as much as 20% off the cost.

Why we shouldn’t expect the M5 MacBook Pro until 2026

The release date for a MacBook Pro with a speedy new Apple M5 processor probably isn’t coming as soon as anticipated.

Plugable’s new Thunderbolt 4 dock is designed for Mac

Plugable created the TBT-UDM Thunderbolt 4 dock with Apple users in mind. It offers more than a dozen ports.

A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team

Charge your Apple Watch and your iPhone or laptop in one shot with this 2-in-1 USB-C cable

This 2-in-1 Apple Watch charging cable is a smart upgrade that makes keeping your wearable and your iPhone or MacBook juiced up way less annoying.

Brilliant iPad charger leaves USB-C port open for other accessories

The Kuxiu M30 Magnetic Smart Connector Charger clings to the back of an iPad to charge it -- no USB-C port needed.

Apple Arcade adds ‘NFL Retro Bowl '26’ and ‘Jeopardy! Daily’

There’s also a new “Hello Kitty” game, among other exciting new titles coming in September.

‘Ted Lasso’ now boarding: Watch Apple TV+ shows for free on United Airlines flights

Per a new deal, free Apple TV+ shows on United flights include "Severance," "Slow Horses," "Ted Lasso" and more, with others on the way.

Today in Apple history: Apple's war with IBM commences

On August 12, 1981, IBM released the IBM Personal Computer. The first PC ignited a long-running tech rivalry between Apple and IBM.

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Tweets of the day

Wallpaper of the day

One more thing ...

❝

Software is the user experience. As the iPod and iTunes prove, it has become the driving technology not just of computers but of consumer electronics.

— Steve Jobs, 2005.

Today’s poll

Any iPad mini fans here?

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Results from yesterday’s poll: Any interest in a very low-cost MacBook?

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