How To Combine PDF Files On Your Mac

You’re probably in the following situation:

• You’re on a Mac
• You’ve got a few PDF files
• You want to combine the PDFs all into one file

If that’s the case, we’ve got you covered.

The great news is that by the end of this article, you’ll leave with a combined PDF file, on your Mac.

We’ll be covering a few methods.

Why? Different people prefer different methods.

Plus, we’ll teach you some online and some offline ways.

Let’s dive into it.

Method 1: How to combine PDF files on your Mac, online

This is the shortest way.

One of the SignHouse Tools we’ve put out is the PDF combine tool.

This doesn’t require any download — or even leaving this page.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Drag-and-drop your file(s) into the upload box
2. Click “Apply changes”

And boom! You’re done!

Alternatively, check out our guide on how to fully use all the functions of this PDF Merger tool here.

But for now, let’s move on to the 2nd method.

Method 2: Combine PDF files using Mac OS

For this, you’ll need to make sure you’re on the Finder app.

That comes natively installed with Mac.

Guide first, explanations later:

1. Select all PDF files that you want to merge
2. Right click → Quick actions → Create PDF

And voila! Your new file is now created.

You’ll actually be thrown straight into renaming the combined file, thanks to the Mac operating system.

However, what happens if you want to combine files… page by page?

How to combine PDF files on Mac: page by page

If you double-click a PDF file, it’ll open (by default) with the Preview app.

(If that’s not the case, right click → open with → Preview).

Let’s see how you can merge files page by page:

1. Open both PDF files
2. Make sure you see the sidebar with thumbnails of each page. If that doesn’t happen: click “view” in the topbar → thumbnails (or just press ⌥ ⌘ 2)
3. Drag and drop pages from one PDF to another one, in the sidebar
4. When you’re done, simply do: File → Export

Alternatively, you can just do File → Save to save the new, combined file on that PDF file.

And voila! You’re done! PDF files combined, on a Mac, with granular control over what page sits where.

PRO TIP: Use Shift + click to select multiple pages. Then, drag and drop them, if you want to move multiple pages together.

Can you combine multiple PDF files, on Mac, without Adobe Acrobat?

Yes, you can. To do that, simply select multiple PDF files, using the Finder app (the file explorer). Then, right click those files, go to “Quick Actions”, then click “Create PDF”. Check out the rest of this article to find out how you can re-arrange the files, or have control over what page sits where.