How to merge PDF files on any device
Combining several PDFs into one — invoices for an expense report, scanned pages of a contract, chapters of a report — is one of the most common PDF jobs. Some devices can do it with built-in apps; others need a tool. Here's the quickest route on each platform.
Any device: in your browser
Our Merge PDF tool works on Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebooks and phones, with nothing to install:
- Open the tool and drag in your PDFs (or tap to select them — you can pick several at once).
- Use the arrows on each file to put them in the order you want.
- Click Merge PDF and download the combined file.
Everything happens on your device; the files are never uploaded. Pages are copied as they are, so text stays selectable and quality doesn't change.
On a Mac: Preview
- Open the first PDF in Preview.
- Show page thumbnails with View → Thumbnails.
- Drag the other PDF files from Finder into the thumbnail sidebar, dropping them where you want them to go. You can also drag thumbnails to reorder pages.
- Save with File → Export as PDF to keep the original untouched.
On iPhone and iPad: the Files app
- Open Files and go to the folder with your PDFs (move them into one folder first if needed).
- Tap the … menu, choose Select and tap the files in the order you want.
- Tap the … button at the bottom and choose Create PDF.
The merged file appears in the same folder. You can also combine photos this way to turn several pictures into one PDF.
On Windows
Windows doesn't include a built-in way to merge PDFs. Your options:
- A browser-based tool like ours, which needs no installation and keeps the files on your computer.
- A free desktop app such as PDFsam Basic (open source) or PDF24 Creator, useful if you merge files often or work offline.
- Adobe Acrobat (paid) if you already have a subscription.
On Android
Android also lacks a built-in merge feature. The simplest option is a browser tool: open our Merge PDF page in Chrome, select your files from the phone's storage or Downloads folder, and download the result. There are also many merge apps in the Play Store; check their permissions and whether they upload your files before installing one.
Quick comparison
| Device | Built-in option | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Mac | Preview | Browser tool |
| iPhone / iPad | Files → Create PDF | Browser tool |
| Windows | None | Browser tool, PDFsam, PDF24 |
| Android | None | Browser tool or an app |
| Chromebook / Linux | None | Browser tool; on Linux also PDFsam |
Tips for a clean merged PDF
- Name files in order (01-cover.pdf, 02-report.pdf…) before you start; most tools list them alphabetically.
- Remove pages you don't need first. Extract the pages you want from each file, then merge.
- Watch the file size. Merging scans or image-heavy PDFs adds their sizes together. If the result is too big to email, see how to reduce PDF file size.
- Password-protected PDFs usually need to be unlocked (by opening them with the password and saving an unprotected copy) before they can be merged.
- Mixed page sizes (A4 and Letter, or landscape pages) are kept as they are; the merged PDF will simply contain pages of different sizes.
- Bookmarks and form fields from the original files may not carry over, depending on the tool.
Merge your PDFs now. Combine files in any order, privately, without installing anything.
Open Merge PDF