How to Merge PDFs on Mac With Preview

Open a PDF in Preview and choose File > Duplicate. Do the same for any other original you want to preserve, then work in the copies. Choose View > Thumbnails in each window so the page lists are visible. Merely opening multiple PDFs in one window does not make them a single saved document.

To add an entire PDF, drag its file icon from Finder into the thumbnail sidebar of the destination PDF. For selected pages, drag their thumbnails from one Preview window into the other. Command-click to select pages that are not adjacent. Drop the pages where you want them in the destination sidebar, then drag thumbnails again to correct the order.

If you want a quick combined file, select the files in Finder, Control-click the selection, and choose Quick Actions > Create PDF. Apple notes that files appear in the order you select them. Open the result in Preview and check the sequence rather than assuming the filename order was used. Use Preview’s thumbnail method when you need precise control over individual pages.

Save the combined copy under a clear name, close it, and reopen it from Finder. Check its page count and the join between the original documents. For example, if you combine a cover page with a report, confirm that the cover is first and the report’s final page is still present. Keep the originals until the result has been accepted wherever you need to send it.