# How to merge PDF files on a Mac

Source: https://mergevanta.com/guides/merge-pdf-on-mac
Published: 2026-10-21
Updated: 2026-10-21
Author: Mergevanta

> Combine PDFs on a Mac for free with Preview, a Finder Quick Action or Mergevanta in your browser. Step-by-step instructions and which method to pick.

## Quick answer: How do I merge PDF files on a Mac?

Open the first PDF in Preview, choose View › Thumbnails and select the page after which to insert. Then choose Edit › Insert › Page from File, pick the next PDF and save with File › Export as PDF. To reorder files by dragging, open Mergevanta in Safari or Chrome, add the PDFs and click Merge.

## Method 1: Merge PDFs with Preview

Preview comes with every Mac and can combine PDFs without installing anything.

1. Open the first PDF in Preview.
2. Choose View › Thumbnails to show the page thumbnails in the sidebar.
3. Click the thumbnail of the page after which the next document should go.
4. Choose Edit › Insert › Page from File, select the PDF to add and click Open. Repeat for each file.
5. Drag thumbnails in the sidebar to fine-tune the order, then choose File › Export as PDF to save the combined file.

## Method 2: Create a PDF with a Finder Quick Action

1. In Finder, select the PDFs (and images, if you like) that you want to combine — Command-click to select several.
2. Control-click the selection and choose Quick Actions › Create PDF.
3. A new PDF appears in the same folder, named after the first file you selected. Open it to check the page order.

## Method 3: Merge in your browser with Mergevanta

Mergevanta works in Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Edge on macOS. It's the quickest option when you want to set the order by dragging, or combine Word, PowerPoint or Excel files as well.

1. Open [Mergevanta's Merge PDF page](https://mergevanta.com/merge-pdf).
2. Drag your PDFs from Finder onto the drop zone.
3. Drag the file cards into order.
4. Click Merge, then Download. The combined PDF lands in your Downloads folder with no watermark.

## Preview vs. Finder vs. Mergevanta

|  | Preview | Finder Quick Action | Mergevanta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Set the order before saving | Yes — drag thumbnails | No | Yes — drag file cards |
| Watermark | None | None | None |
| Works on Windows and phones | No | No | Yes |
| Merges Word, PowerPoint and Excel | No | No | Yes |
| Cost | Free, built in | Free, built in | Free |

## In short

- Preview merges PDFs with Edit › Insert › Page from File, then File › Export as PDF.
- Finder's Quick Actions › Create PDF combines selected files in one step.
- Mergevanta works in any Mac browser and adds drag-to-reorder and Office formats.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Preview add a watermark when merging PDFs?

No. Preview and the Finder Quick Action are built into macOS and never add a watermark. Neither does Mergevanta.

### How do I merge PDFs on a Mac without Preview?

Use Mergevanta in your browser: drag the PDFs onto the [Merge PDF](https://mergevanta.com/merge-pdf) page, put them in order and click Merge. You can also select files in Finder and choose Quick Actions › Create PDF.

### Can I combine PDFs and images on a Mac?

Yes. Finder's Create PDF Quick Action accepts both. With Mergevanta, turn the images into a PDF with [JPG to PDF](https://mergevanta.com/jpg-to-pdf) first, then merge it with your other PDFs.

### How do I reorder pages in a merged PDF on a Mac?

In Preview, choose View › Thumbnails and drag pages up or down in the sidebar. In Mergevanta, set the order of the files before you merge by dragging their cards.

Try it: [Merge PDF](https://mergevanta.com/merge-pdf) — free, no watermark, no sign-up.