Published Oct 21, 2026, 10:30 AM EDT

Bryan Wolfe has spent 15+ years writing about the tech people actually use — and occasionally the tech they probably shouldn't. With bylines at Yahoo, MakeUseOf, TechRadar, and Digital Trends, he brings an MBA-sharpened perspective to consumer tech, AI tools, and digital productivity. He's based in State College, PA, where he also runs GoingSolo.Life, a solo travel brand for the independently minded.

For most of the years I’ve owned a Mac, Preview was just the app that opened when I accidentally double-clicked a PDF. I’d close it and open the app I actually wanted, usually Adobe Acrobat Pro, but sometimes Smallpdf Pro for quick jobs like merging files and removing backgrounds. Then I got a new multifunctional MacBook Air and forgot to install either paid app. When it came time to open a PDF on the new computer, I used Preview out of quick necessity.…