PDF in Preview won't let me change previous rectangles after update to Big Sur

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Level 1

4 points

PDF in Preview won't let me change previous rectangles after update to Big Sur

Hi there,

i update to Big Sur, but now something rally strange happened to my PDF.

If i move a rectangle or a text box... they will move... but there is a copy of all of them beneath them that can't be edited or deleted. Its like its part of the background all of a sudden. If i open it with Acrobat i can simply delete them, they aren't doubled.... but i want to keep on using preview...

Can someone please help me?

iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 11.0

Posted on Dec 10, 2020 1:58 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Rick8877 Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 10, 2020 3:20 PM in response to Rick8877

I solved the Problem...

The Problem was that you could make changes, but a doppelgänger of the initial rectangle or textbook would stay there as if it was uneditable. But after you edit them, save the file and THEN reopen it... only then will the changes affect the doppelgängers.

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Answer 2

VikingOSX

Level 10

123,176 points

Dec 10, 2020 2:11 PM in response to Rick8877

While in the PDF, open the Preview Inspector (⌘+i) and click on the right-most section, which should reveal all of your annotations. These can be selected, which should indicate which annotation was selected in the PDF, and can even be removed from this panel with a backspace. This may help you get at some of the rectangular annotations.

I you save a PDF, its annotations (other than signature) should remain editable in future opens. If you export to PDF, or Print… PDF : Save as PDF, then the annotations are no longer editable when you reopen the PDF.

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Answer 3

Rick8877 Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 10, 2020 2:24 PM in response to VikingOSX

Thank you, i used your method, but even if i delete a rectangle there, an uneditable doppelgänger of it waits beneath it that actually doesn't show up in the Preview Inspector. You know what i think happened? The update to Big Sur exported my PDF some sort, made my previous annotation uneditable and simply threw all my existing edits on top again.

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PDF in Preview won't let me change previous rectangles after update to Big Sur

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