Macs are actually great at this. Preview, the app that opens PDFs by default, can merge files, reorder pages and delete pages, and Finder has a one-click option too. Here's how each works.
Method 1: Finder Quick Action (fastest)
- Open a Finder window and go to the folder with your PDFs.
- Select the files you want to combine. Hold Command and click each one, or drag a box around them.
- Right-click (or Control-click) one of the selected files.
- Choose Quick Actions, then Create PDF.
A new PDF appears in the same folder. It works with images too, so you can mix JPGs and PDFs.
About the order: Finder combines files in the order they're sorted in the window, usually by name. Rename them with a number up front (01, 02, 03) if order matters. If you don't see Create PDF, check System Settings, then search for "Extensions," open Finder extensions and make sure Create PDF is turned on.
Method 2: Preview (most control)
Preview lets you see every page and drag things exactly where you want them.
- Open the first PDF in Preview (double-click it, since Preview is the default).
- Show the page thumbnails: View menu, then Thumbnails. A sidebar appears on the left.
- Drag the second PDF from Finder into that sidebar. Drop it where you want it: between pages, at the end, wherever. A line shows where it'll land.
- Repeat for any other files.
- Drag individual page thumbnails around to fine-tune the order. Select a page and press Delete to remove it.
- Save with File, then Export as PDF, and give it a new name. That way your original first file stays untouched.
Watch out for one thing: drop the file between thumbnails, not on top of one. Dropping a PDF directly onto a page thumbnail can attach it as an annotation instead of adding its pages. If that happens, press Command-Z and try again.
Another way to add pages is Edit, then Insert, then Page from File. It adds the chosen file after the selected page.
Method 3: In your browser with JoinPDFs
Handy when you're on a work Mac with locked-down settings, or you want to combine PDFs and photos and set the order visually.
- Open Merge PDF in Safari, Chrome or Firefox.
- Drag your files from Finder straight onto the drop zone, or click Select files.
- Drag the cards into order.
- Click Merge PDF and download. It lands in your Downloads folder.
Like Preview, it works entirely on your Mac. Nothing is uploaded, so it's fine for private documents.
Combining PDFs with Automator or Shortcuts
If you merge the same kind of files every week, the Shortcuts app on your Mac (or Automator on older macOS versions) can do it automatically. Shortcuts has a Make PDF action that combines whatever files you give it. Set the shortcut to appear in Finder's Quick Actions, and you've got a custom "combine and save to my Invoices folder" button. Handy, but honestly overkill if you only merge files a few times a year.
Combining PDFs on a Mac without Preview
Some work Macs have a different default PDF app, like Adobe Acrobat Reader. The free Reader can't combine files, but Preview is still installed. Right-click a PDF, choose Open With, then Preview.
Which one should you use?
- A few files, order is obvious: Finder Quick Action.
- You need to shuffle, delete or rotate single pages: Preview, or merge here and finish in Organize PDF.
- You're not on your own Mac or want a visual drag-and-drop for whole files: JoinPDFs.
Troubleshooting
The combined PDF is huge
Preview has a "Reduce File Size" option in the Export dialog (under Quartz Filter), but it's pretty aggressive and can make scans blurry. For more control, try Compress PDF, which shows you the new size before you save.
Some pages came out sideways
In Preview, select the page and press Command-R (rotate right) or Command-L (rotate left), then save. Or use Rotate PDF.
Preview won't let me drag pages in
The PDF might be locked or password-protected. Check File, then Edit Permissions (if it's there), or open it, enter the password, and export a fresh copy first.
Forms got weird after merging
If you merged several fillable forms, fields with the same names can share answers. Flatten each form before merging to lock the answers in.
Bonus: signing while you're at it
Preview can also sign PDFs with the Markup toolbar, and we wrote a whole guide on signing a PDF without printing that covers the Mac and everything else.