[Bug] Export to pdf on Preview (Monterey)

Oh wait. It's dimmed because it is already a PDF. You can just save it or hold the option key for "Save As…" from the File menu.

I found out my problem. I'm using an external monitor on my M1 macbook air. Apparently there's a bug with the usb c hubs. If I unplug the monitor, works like a charm. I will be downgrading to BigSur until this is fixed.

Give this a try: boot into Safe Mode according to How to use safe mode on your Mac and test to see if the problem persists. Reboot normally and test again.

NOTE: Safe Mode boot can take up to 3 - 5 minutes as it's doing the following; 

• Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed

• Loads only required kernel extensions (prevents 3rd party kernel/extensions from loading)

• Prevents Startup Items and Login Items from opening automatically

• Disables user-installed fonts 

• Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files

Terrible that Apple changed this. A lot of people work with PDFs and need to "flatten" them after filing in a fillable pdf to pass it along to someone else who doesn't open it and have the same fillable forms. Tons of other uses. Preview used to be a good way to do this, allowing one to print or export to a PDF. Not sure why they broke this.

Using Safari to open the PDF, then "print to PDF" works. Same with Chrome. This flattens the output PDF, which is no longer secured (in my testing) and pages can be extracted, or edited in acrobat.

But it is a poor workaround.

Another solution I found:

• Right-click (or hold down Control and then click) the file and you will see this:

• Now click on "Duplicate" as shown above.
• It will be saved in the same location as the original PDF with the name [file name] copy.

Give this a try: boot into Safe Mode according to How to use safe mode on your Mac and test to see if the problem persists. Reboot normally and test again.

NOTE: Safe Mode boot can take up to 3 - 5 minutes as it's doing the following; 

• Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed ⬅︎

• Loads only required kernel extensions (prevents 3rd party kernel/extensions from loading) ⬅︎

• Prevents Startup Items and Login Items from opening automatically

• Disables user-installed fonts 

• Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files ⬅︎

The Preview in Monterey may not have the same functionality as in Big Sur because Apple can and often does change application functionality between operating system upgrades.

If you require your annotations in a separate PDF, and Export to PDF… is not working, then you still have Option key + Save As, or Print… > PDF > Save As PDF functionality. Just change the name of the new PDF in the dialog panel.

Unfortunately, this solution does not provide the same functionality. "Export to PDF..." could "flatten" the PDF, so that things like form fields and signatures were no longer active. This makes the PDF suitable for upload to a number of platforms, especially for courts and government sites, that will reject PDFs with security features or XFA elements. The "Print as a PDF" function preserves those PDF elements, which isn't what I need for my work.

I am very disappointed in the change of functionality, and I hope Apple fixes this bug soon!

For those who need to flatten, I found a workaround: you can open the pdf in a web browser (I use Chrome or Brave) and then print as a PDF from there. The resulting PDF will be suitable for upload to sites that do not accept XFA or fillable PDFs.

With Monterey, I now find myself using Preview less and less.

Thanks, HERE IS THE FIX I FOUND TODAY. following your lead.

I removed the external monitor and restarted my mac. Re-Attached external monitor and in the display setting, made my external monitor the main monitor. Export function started working.. incidentally, it allowed export function on my MacBook as well.

Hope this helps all who are struggling with this issue..

I have the same issue and use this feature literally all the time to mark exhibits. I hope they fix it as it's not helpful at all at this point.

My work around is to do Fild>Print>click on PDF drop down>Save as PDF.

It worked on the annotation I made on my PDF in preview but it's a pain as it's several more steps.

I'm on a MacBook Air for reference, running Monterey 12.0.1.

The following has worked for me. (I have used uppercase for the main points.)

-     Before you do anything, consider copying the file to a new name, so you can keep the

original unprotected one. (You can delete it later if you want to.)

-      Open your pdf in Preview by right-click, select Open With, and choose Preview

-      In File menu of Preview, click on EDIT PERMISSIONS

-      On the dialog box, click on the square for Require Password to Open Document

-      Type and verify the password you are giving the file

-      Where you see Permissions, UNCLICK EVERYTHING

-      Type and verify the Owner Password, which can be same or different as the other one.

-      Click on Apply

-      Close the file (you don’t even need to Save)

-      When you want to use the file again, you can open it with Preview (though you don’t have

to) especially if you want to change permissions again.

 Hope this helps.

After annotating the PDF do a Print ➙ Print to PDF and it will save the annotations you've added.

I've found a workaround for this:

• Go to the Finder and select the file and the 'Open with Safari'
• In Safari, "Print->Save as PDF" works for me for the protected files I've tested.

Until then I had to keep an old VM running Mojave to save protected files as PDF.

I have found a solution. If you have a PDF (editable) than you can go to print and on the downside of the pop up where you choose one of the available printers you can click on the drop down PDF and then press save as pdf in the context.

You will get a readable only pdf without getting the opportunity to change anything in it.

Personal solution for save/export to PDF in Preview:

I normally run my MacBookPro (16 inch, 2019) with two external screens (Lenovo and Samsung). Yesterday I upgraded to Monterey. Same problem with everyone else re not being able to save/export to PDF with Preview. Unplugged the external monitors, rebooted, and now I'm able to use Preview export/save as PDF