How to Merge PDFs on a Mac: Preview, Finder or Browser
Three free ways to combine PDF files on a Mac — Preview’s sidebar, Finder’s Create PDF and a browser merger — and which one to use when the order matters.
3 min read ·
Macs can merge PDFs out of the box, which makes them unusual. You have three free options: drag pages between documents in Preview, use Create PDF in Finder, or drop the files onto a browser tool such as the PDF Merger. Here's how each works and when each one is the better choice.
Option 1: Merge PDFs in Preview
Preview is the Mac's built-in PDF app, and its thumbnail sidebar doubles as a merging tool.
- Open the first PDF in Preview.
- Choose View › Thumbnails so the page thumbnails appear in the sidebar.
- Drag the other PDF file from Finder into the sidebar, dropping it where its pages should go — above, between or below the existing pages.
- Check the order, then choose File › Export as PDF to save the combined document under a new name.
Preview also lets you drag individual pages around and delete pages, so it's good for small, fiddly jobs. Be careful with one thing: if you just close the window, Preview saves the changes into your original first file. Exporting as a new PDF keeps the originals intact.
Option 2: Create PDF in Finder
For a quick merge of several files at once:
- In Finder, select the PDFs (hold Command and click each one).
- Control-click (right-click) the selection and choose Quick Actions › Create PDF.
Finder creates a new PDF next to the originals. It's fast, but you can't see the pages or the order before it's made, so check the result — and if the order is wrong, rename the files and try again, or use one of the other options.
Option 3: The PDF Merger in your browser
The PDF Merger works in Safari, Chrome or Firefox on any Mac, and it's the clearest when you're combining several documents for an application or a client:
- Open the PDF Merger and drag your PDFs from Finder onto the drop box.
- Each file is listed with its page count. Rearrange them with the arrows or click Sort by file name.
- Click Merge, then Download merged PDF.
The merged file lands in your Downloads folder. Like Preview, it works on your own computer — the documents aren't uploaded.
Which method should you use?
| Situation | Best choice |
|---|---|
| Inserting a few pages into the middle of a document | Preview |
| Quickly joining two or three files you don't need to check | Finder's Create PDF |
| Combining many files in a specific order, with page counts | PDF Merger |
| Working on a shared or managed Mac where apps are restricted | PDF Merger (just a web page) |
| Merging, then sending from an iPhone or a Windows PC too | PDF Merger (works the same everywhere) |
Tidy up the merged PDF
- Wrong page order inside a document? Fix it in Preview's sidebar, or with Rearrange PDF Pages in the browser.
- Too many pages? Pull out just what you need with Split PDF.
- Too big to email? Shrink it with Compress PDF. Preview's Export › Quartz Filter › Reduce File Size also works, but it often blurs scanned pages badly, so check the result before you send it.
Frequently asked questions
Why are some of my files greyed out or refused?
Password-protected PDFs can't be merged until they're unlocked. Preview will ask for the password when you open one; in the browser, the file is marked Password-protected and you can remove the password with Unlock PDF if you know it.
Does merging reduce the quality?
No. All three methods copy the pages as they are, so text stays sharp and searchable. (Only the Reduce File Size filter in Preview re-compresses images.)
Can I merge images and PDFs together?
Finder's Create PDF accepts images and PDFs together. In the browser, turn the images into a PDF first with Image to PDF, then merge.