How to Download a PDF on Mac: Safari, Chrome and Finder

Downloading a PDF on a Mac is usually a matter of opening the document and saving it to your Downloads folder. Safari and Chrome use slightly different controls, but both make it easy to keep a local copy.

Download a PDF in Safari

Open the PDF in Safari. Depending on the page, you can use the download control in the PDF viewer or choose the browser’s download option. If the PDF opens in a new tab, look for the download button near the viewer controls.

The file will normally be saved in your Mac’s Downloads folder unless you have changed Safari’s download location.

Download a PDF in Chrome

Open the PDF in Chrome and use the download icon in the PDF viewer. Choose the destination if Chrome asks where to save the file. Otherwise, check the Downloads folder in Finder.

Find a downloaded PDF on your Mac

Open Finder and select Downloads from the sidebar. You can also use Finder search and enter part of the PDF filename. Sort by Date Added if you downloaded the document recently.

What if a website opens the PDF instead of downloading it?

That is normal. Opening a PDF in the browser does not mean it cannot be saved. Use the PDF viewer’s download control to create a local copy.

Need another PDF operation?

Once the file is saved, use the PDF tools collection for common tasks. You can also use the PDF Compressor to reduce file size or the PDF Merger to combine documents.

Mac PDF download checklist

• Open the PDF in Safari or Chrome.
• Use the viewer’s download control.
• Check Finder > Downloads.
• Search by filename if needed.
• Keep the original file when you need to preserve a source copy.