# How to change a number in a PDF on Mac | Nudocs Source: https://nudocs.ai/guides/change-number-in-pdf Updated: 2026-11-07 Change a number or amount in a PDF on your Mac Correct a number or amount in your own PDF on a Mac: what Preview can’t do, how to fix it at the source, and how to ask Nudocs for an edited copy. For Macs with Apple silicon running macOS 13 or later. A Nutrient DWS account is required. The Mac app is free; document and AI services use DWS free allowances or paid usage, depending on your plan and task. ## Short answer If you have the spreadsheet or document the PDF came from, correct the number there and make a new PDF, so any totals stay consistent. Preview can’t edit the existing text of a PDF. To change an amount in the PDF itself, ask a PDF editor such as Nudocs for an edited copy, then check every figure that depends on it. ## Start with the right document This guide is for correcting your own documents: a typo in a quote, a price that changed before a proposal went out, or a draft you are reissuing with updated terms. Only edit documents you are entitled to change, and never alter official records, receipts or statements. If a document someone else issued is wrong, ask them for a corrected copy. A number on a page is rarely on its own. A unit price feeds a line total, line totals feed a subtotal, and the same figure may be repeated in a summary or cover note. Before you change anything, list every place the number appears and every figure that depends on it. ## Fix it at the source If the PDF came from a spreadsheet, a Pages document or a Word file you still have, correct the number there. A spreadsheet with formulas recalculates the totals for you; text on a PDF page doesn’t. Then make a new PDF. - In Pages, choose File > Export To > PDF. - From the app that made it, choose File > Print, open the PDF pop-up menu, then choose Save as PDF. Sources: - [Apple: Convert to Word, PDF, or another file format in Pages on Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/pages/export-to-word-pdf-or-another-file-format-tance1161f26/mac) - [Apple: Save a document as a PDF on Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/save-a-document-as-a-pdf-on-mac-mchlp1531/mac) ## What Preview can and can’t do Apple’s Preview guide says you can’t edit the text of a PDF in Preview. If the amount sits in a form field, you can click the field and type a new value. Otherwise, Preview can only add a text box on top of the page with the Text tool, or hide the old figure with the Redaction Selection tool. A text box over a redacted number may look right, but the new figure is something you placed on the page rather than a change to the PDF’s text, and lining it up with the column is up to you. Apple notes that a redaction becomes permanent once you close the document, so keep a copy of the original first. Sources: - [Apple: Annotate a PDF in Preview on Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/preview/annotate-a-pdf-prvw11580/mac) - [Apple: Fill out and sign PDF forms in Preview on Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/preview/fill-out-and-sign-pdf-forms-prvw35725/mac) ## With Nudocs Nudocs is a document agent for your Mac. You can ask it to correct an amount in an existing PDF and save an edited copy. Name every figure that should change, including line totals, subtotals and totals, and give each new value. Don’t assume a total will update by itself. Say what must stay the same, and ask for a separate output so you can compare it with the original. Layout preservation is not guaranteed. Check the edited table, the numbers around it and the rest of the page. Editing the PDF you supplied and generating a replacement document are different jobs; check which one you got. Nudocs runs on Macs with Apple silicon and macOS 13 or later, and you need a Nutrient DWS account. The Mac app is free; document and AI services use DWS free allowances or paid usage. Depending on the task, your instructions and document content may be sent to AI providers and Nutrient services, so read the desktop Privacy Policy before you add files. ## Example request In this draft quote, change the unit price in row 3 from €120 to €125, the row 3 total from €2,400 to €2,500 and the quote total from €6,800 to €6,900. Leave the other rows unchanged and save an edited copy for me to review. ## What to check - Recalculate the totals yourself; a table that looks right isn’t proof the arithmetic is. - Check the currency symbol, decimal mark and thousands separator match the rest of the document. - Check that the new figures line up with the column, including right-aligned amounts. - Search the edited copy for the old amount, in case it appears in a summary or a cover note. - Keep the original until you have checked the edited copy. ## Questions ### Can I change a number in a PDF with Preview? Only if it sits in a form field you can type into. Apple’s Preview guide says you can’t edit the text of a PDF in Preview; otherwise you can only add a text box on top of the page. ### Will totals update when I change one amount? Don’t assume they will. Text on a PDF page doesn’t recalculate. Name every figure that should change, including subtotals and totals, then check the arithmetic in the edited copy yourself. ### Can I change the amount on a receipt or statement? No. Only edit documents you are entitled to change. Don’t alter receipts, statements, invoices you received or other official records. Ask whoever issued the document for a corrected one. ### What do I need to use Nudocs? A Mac with Apple silicon running macOS 13 or later, and a Nutrient DWS account, which you sign in to the first time the app opens. The Mac app is free. Document and AI services use DWS free allowances or paid usage, depending on your plan and task. ## Related - [PDF editing](https://nudocs.ai/workflows/pdf-editing) - [Change a date in a PDF](https://nudocs.ai/guides/change-date-in-pdf-mac) - [Edit text in a PDF](https://nudocs.ai/guides/edit-text-in-pdf-mac) ## Get started - [Download Nudocs for Mac](https://agent-cdn.nutrient.io/nudocs/mac/stable/arm64/Nudocs-arm64.dmg): Free Mac app for Apple silicon. - [Current DWS allowances and paid options](https://www.nutrient.io/api/pricing/) - [Desktop Privacy Policy](https://nudocs.ai/desktop/privacy-policy) - [Desktop Terms of Use](https://nudocs.ai/desktop/terms) - [Contact](mailto:nudocs@nutrient.io)