Preview and the built-in Mac tools vs Whizra
Preview, Finder and Photos are free and already on your Mac, and for one file they're often all you need. Whizra is for the jobs they make slow (many files, several steps in a row) and the ones they can't do, like page numbers, PDF to Word or a zip with a strong password.
Who each is for
Pick Preview when
- It's one file and a job Preview has a menu for (rotate, export, merge two PDFs).
- You'd rather not install anything.
Pick Whizra when
- It's many files, or a chain ("merge these then compress").
- Preview has no way to do it (page numbers, PDF to Word, a password-protected zip, slides to notes).
- You'd rather say the job than look for the menu.
Job by job: the free Mac way, and the sentence in Whizra
| Job | The free Mac way | In Whizra, type |
|---|---|---|
| Compress a PDF on Mac | Preview → File → Export → Quartz Filter "Reduce File Size": free, but often blurry and sometimes bigger. | compress it |
| Merge PDFs on Mac | Preview: open one, drag the others into the sidebar. Fine for two files. | merge these into one pdf |
| Split a PDF, keep or remove pages | Preview: drag pages out of the sidebar. | split this pdf into single pages |
| Rotate PDF pages on Mac | Preview: rotate, then save. | rotate it right |
| Add page numbers to a PDF on Mac | Preview can't do this. | add page numbers |
| Password-protect a PDF on Mac | Preview → Export → Encrypt. | lock this pdf with password 1234 |
| Remove a PDF password you know | Preview: open with the password, export without Encrypt. | unlock it with password 1234 |
| Make a scanned PDF searchable (OCR) on Mac | Preview's Live Text lets you select text in a scan, but doesn't save it into the file. | make this searchable |
| Extract images from a PDF on Mac | No good built-in way. | extract images from this pdf |
| Convert PDF to Word on Mac | No good free way on a Mac (copy and paste loses layout). | convert my last pdf to word |
| Convert Word to PDF without Word | Pages or TextEdit → Export to PDF (TextEdit drops pictures). | convert this docx to pdf |
| Convert PowerPoint to PDF on Mac | Keynote can open and export pptx (free, slower). | convert my last powerpoint to pdf |
| Convert Excel to PDF on Mac | Numbers can open and export xlsx. | excel to pdf |
| Convert HEIC to JPG on Mac | Preview → Export, one at a time (or select many in Preview). | convert these to jpg |
| Convert WebP to PNG or JPG on Mac | Preview → Export. | convert this webp to png |
| Resize images in bulk on Mac | Preview → Tools → Adjust Size. | resize to 1080 px |
| Remove location from photos on Mac | Photos → Info → remove location, one at a time. | remove location from these photos |
| Remove the background from a photo on Mac | Preview and Photos can already do one picture ("Remove Background", "Copy Subject"). Whizra is for several at once or as part of a sentence. | remove the background from my last photo |
| Zip files with a password on Mac | Finder's Compress has no password. Terminal's zip -e uses ZipCrypto, which is weak. | compress tax 2026` (a folder: compress makes a zip, like Finder's Compress) |
| Unzip zip, RAR and 7z files on Mac | Finder opens a plain .zip with a double-click (Archive Utility). It can't open .rar or .7z, so people install The Unarchiver or Keka (both free). In Terminal, tar -xf file.raralso works for many archives. | unzip it |
| Find files on Mac by describing them | Spotlight and Finder search (need exact names or filters). | what did I download yesterday? |
| Ask what a file is about | Siri AI on macOS 27 can summarise too. | what is my last pdf about? |
| Batch rename files on Mac | Finder → select → Rename… (good for simple cases). | rename it to Invoice March |
| Move, copy, tag and make folders by typing | Finder drag and drop. | put these in a new folder called Need edit |
| Quit apps and close windows by name | ⌘W, ⌘⌥W, ⌘Q, Force Quit. | close this window |
| Open and play files in a named app | Right-click → Open With. | play episode 11 in vlc with subtitles |
| Turn lecture slides into notes | None. | turn these slides into notes |
The free Mac way for each job, as written on its page. Both run on your Mac; neither uploads your files.