How to merge PDFs on a Mac

Combining receipts, scans and contracts into one PDF should take seconds. Here are two ways that keep your files on your Mac.

Option 1: Preview

1. Open the first PDF in Preview and show the sidebar (View › Thumbnails).
2. Drag the other PDFs onto the thumbnails, in the order you want.
3. Choose File › Export as PDF to save the combined file.

This works, but it is easy to drop a file into the wrong place or to change the original by accident.

Option 2: Sheaf

1. Select the PDFs (and images, if you like) in Finder and start dragging them.
2. Pause, then move toward Merge and let go.

Sheaf creates one new PDF, with a bookmark for each original file, and leaves the originals untouched. To change the order or remove pages first, choose Organize instead: you can rearrange, rotate and delete pages across several PDFs before saving one clean file.

Questions

Can I merge PDFs and JPGs together?

Yes. Sheaf accepts PDFs and images in the same drag and turns them into one PDF.

How do I split a PDF on a Mac?

In Sheaf, drag the PDF and choose Split: by page, by page range or into email-sized parts.