Mac

Merge PDF files on a Mac (Preview, Finder or browser)

Quick answer: open the first PDF in Preview, choose View > Thumbnails, drag the other PDF from Finder into the sidebar where you want it, then choose File > Export as PDF. For a quick join, select the PDFs in Finder, Control-click and choose Quick Actions > Create PDF. Or use this page in Safari or Chrome: add the files, drag them into order and click Merge; nothing is uploaded and it is free for up to 10 files.

Steps last checked 18 October 2026 by the PDFWhisk team

At a glance

Use this page to merge files quickly with a guided workflow.
Accepted input: .pdf.
Output: downloadable files generated in-browser for supported workflows.

Local processing No server file storage Mobile-friendly

Upload Choose your file
Process Runs locally
Download Save result

Drop your files here

or tap to browse · accepts .pdf

Runs in your browser. No file uploads for supported tools.

Best on desktop for 100MB+ files · mobile recommended under ~100MB.

Runs locally No file uploads No server storage

How local processing works

Your PDF is processed in your browser using local JavaScript libraries.
PDFWhisk does not upload your file to a processing server for supported tools.
Only normal page assets load from the site (HTML/CSS/JS), not your document contents.

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Security & privacy details

How this tool helps

Combine multiple PDF documents into a single file in seconds. Simply drag and drop your PDFs, arrange them in the order you want, and merge. Our tool preserves all formatting, bookmarks, and links from the original documents. Perfect for combining reports, contracts, invoices, or any documents that need to be in one file. Reorder pages by dragging them into position before merging. All processing happens in your browser - your sensitive documents never touch our servers. Merges up to 10 PDFs at a time on the free plan (more with Pro) and produces a clean, properly structured output document. Use it when you need to merge PDFs on iPhone, compress after merging, split a merged file later.

Best for

Application packs Scanned batches Case bundles Phone-based workflows

How it works

1

Open this page in Safari or Chrome on your Mac

No app or account is needed.
2

Add the PDFs

Drag the PDFs from Finder onto the upload box, or click it and select them (hold Command to pick more than one).
3

Drag them into order

Reorder the list so the documents appear in the sequence you need.
4

Merge and download

Click Merge, download the combined PDF and open it in Preview to check it.

More files today? Free covers 3 tasks a day and files up to 50MB. For unlimited tasks and bigger files, Pro passes start at £1 for 24 hours. One-off payment, no subscription, and your files still stay on your device.

Merging PDFs on a Mac: the three ways compared

macOS can merge PDFs without extra software. Which method is easiest depends on how many files you have and whether you need to change the order.

How do I merge PDFs in Preview?

Open the first PDF, choose View > Thumbnails, and drag the second PDF from Finder into the sidebar. Drop it onto the gap between two thumbnails to insert its pages there, not onto a thumbnail. Drag thumbnails to reorder pages. Use File > Export as PDF to save a new combined file; saving normally changes the first PDF itself, so keep a copy if you need the original.

How does Finder's Create PDF work?

Select two or more PDFs (or images) in Finder, Control-click and choose Quick Actions > Create PDF. A new PDF appears in the same folder, named after the first file. It follows the order the files are listed in, so sort by name and number them first if order matters.

When is the browser tool the better choice?

When you have several files to put in a specific order, when you are on someone else's Mac, or when you want the same steps on your iPhone and PC. Pages are copied as they are, so text stays selectable. Free merges up to 10 files at a time, 3 tasks a day.

What if the combined PDF is too large?

Merged files add up. If a portal or email rejects it, use Compress PDF with a target such as 5MB or 10MB. Compression redraws pages as images, so do it as the last step and keep the uncompressed copy.

Before you upload/share

Open the PDF and check every page before you send or upload it.
Keep the original files until the recipient or portal has accepted the document.

Frequently asked questions

How do I combine PDFs in Preview on a Mac?

Open the first PDF in Preview and choose View > Thumbnails. Drag the other PDF from Finder into the thumbnail sidebar where you want its pages, then choose File > Export as PDF to save the combined file.

What is the quickest way to merge PDFs on a Mac?

Select the PDFs in Finder, Control-click and choose Quick Actions > Create PDF. It joins them in one step, in the order they appear in the Finder window, so sort or rename them first.

Why use a browser tool if Preview can do it?

Preview is fine for two or three files. The browser tool is quicker for reordering a longer list, works the same on any Mac (including a locked-down work Mac), and also runs on iPhone and Windows.

Does merging reduce quality?

No. Both Preview and this tool copy the pages as they are. If the merged file is too big to send, compress it afterwards.

Is my PDF uploaded?

No. The PDF is opened and processed by your browser on your own computer. No request sends the file to PDFWhisk, which you can check yourself in the browser's Network panel (F12 in Edge or Chrome) while the tool runs.

What to do next

Chain tools together for a complete workflow.

Compress PDF

Shrink a PDF to a target size, such as 2MB or 500KB

Split PDF

Extract pages or split a PDF into multiple files

Reorder Pages

Drag and drop to rearrange PDF pages