Safari PDF

How to save a webpage as PDF in Safari — step by step (+ easier way)

Safari on macOS and iOS both have PDF saving features, but they work differently and each has limitations. Here is how to save webpages as PDF in Safari on Mac and iPhone/iPad — and how to get cleaner results with content extraction and professional templates.

Install Free Extension Skip to the Easier Way

Free — 3 PDFs per month. No credit card required.

Step by step

How to save a webpage as PDF in Safari

Different methods for macOS and iOS.

Method 1: Safari on macOS — Export as PDF (single continuous page)

Open the webpage you want to save in Safari on your Mac.
Go to File > Export as PDF in the menu bar.
Choose a filename and save location, then click Save.
This creates a single, continuous page PDF — the entire webpage is rendered as one very long page with no page breaks. This is useful for preserving exact layout but not ideal for printing or reading.

Method 2: Safari on macOS — Print as PDF (paginated)

Open the webpage in Safari.
Go to File > Print (or press Cmd+P).
In the print dialog, click the "PDF" dropdown in the bottom-left corner and select "Save as PDF."
Choose a filename and location.
This creates a paginated PDF with proper page breaks, headers, and footers — more like a traditional printed document.
Tip: Use Safari Reader mode first (click the reader icon in the address bar) for cleaner output on article pages.

Method 3: Safari on iPhone/iPad — Share sheet

Open the webpage in Safari on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap the Share button (square with arrow) at the bottom of the screen.
Tap "Print" from the share options — this opens the iOS print preview.
On the print preview, pinch outward (zoom in) with two fingers on the page preview thumbnails. This converts the print preview into a PDF preview.
The page now shows as a full PDF. Tap the Share button again in the top-right to save, AirDrop, or share the PDF.
This method is not obvious — Apple does not label it as "Save as PDF" anywhere in the interface.

Limitations

Common issues when saving webpages as PDF in Safari

Safari's PDF features work, but each method has trade-offs.

Export as PDF creates a single continuous page

Safari's File > Export as PDF creates one extremely long page with no pagination. A typical article might produce a PDF that is 30+ inches tall. This makes it impractical for printing and awkward for reading in most PDF viewers.

Print as PDF includes headers, footers, and navigation

Safari's print-to-PDF captures the full page including navigation menus, sidebars, ads, and cookie banners. There is no built-in content extraction — you get the entire webpage as rendered.

Safari Reader only works on article pages

Safari Reader mode strips page clutter and shows clean article text, but it only activates on pages Safari recognizes as articles. It does not work on documentation, forums, dashboards, product pages, or web applications.

No template or styling control

Safari offers no control over PDF typography, colors, or layout. Print-as-PDF uses the browser's default rendering, and Export-as-PDF takes a pixel-perfect snapshot. Neither option lets you customize the output.

iOS method is unintuitive

On iPhone and iPad, saving a webpage as PDF requires a hidden gesture — pinch-to-zoom on the print preview. Apple provides no "Save as PDF" button, making this feature effectively invisible to most users.

The easier way

Get cleaner PDFs from Safari pages

No ads. No navigation. No single-page scroll. Just the content.

Open the page in Chrome or Edge on your Mac

Pretty PDF is a Chrome extension that runs in Chrome and Edge. Mac users can install either browser alongside Safari to access the extension.

Click the Pretty PDF extension icon

The extension automatically extracts just the article content — removing navigation, ads, sidebars, and all page clutter that Safari's built-in tools would include.

Choose a template and generate

Pick from five professional templates and click Generate PDF. The result is a clean, paginated document with professional typography.

Safari PDF vs Pretty PDF

Feature	Safari	Pretty PDF
Content extraction	Full page with clutter	Article content only
Pagination	Export: none / Print: basic	Smart page breaks
Templates	None	5 professional templates
iOS support	Native (pinch gesture)	Chrome/Edge only
Reader mode	Articles only	All page types

Frequently asked questions

Two methods: (1) File > Export as PDF saves the full page as one continuous image. (2) File > Print > PDF > Save as PDF creates a paginated document. Method 2 is usually better for readability.

Tap the Share button, select Print, then pinch-to-zoom on the print preview. This creates a PDF preview you can share or save. It is not obvious but it works on all iOS devices.

Export as PDF creates a single, very long page with the entire webpage. Print as PDF creates a paginated document with page breaks, like a real printed document. Use Print as PDF for most purposes.

Pretty PDF is a Chrome/Edge extension and does not run in Safari directly. Mac users can install Chrome or Edge to use the extension. Alternatively, the Pretty PDF API can convert any URL to PDF regardless of your browser.