Tech
How To Combine PDF Files on a Mac
In 1991, Dr. John Warnock, Adobe’s co-founder, developed a project that evolved into what we now know as the PDF. It stands for Portable Document Format and the intention was to have electronic versions of documents that people could share anywhere.
Currently, PDFs are standard digital document types that people and businesses rely on all over the world. Even though PDFs were developed on the Windows platform, Apple has adopted the PDF since it is so widespread in use.
In this guide, we’ll explain how to combine PDF files on a Mac with ease. We’ll also let you know some other tips and tricks when it comes to using PDF files on a Mac computer.
Let’s get started!
How to Combine PDF files on a Mac
When it comes to combining pdf files on a Mac, you’ve got some excellent in-built tools to do so; Microsoft is lacking in this department. All you need to use is the Mac OS Finder and Preview apps to combine PDF files on a Mac in macOS Catalina.
So begin with Finder and put all the PDF files you want to combine in one folder for ease of use. Then switch over to the Gallery View of your files on the top left toolbar. You should now see small images of your PDF files lined up in the bottom left section of the Finder app.
Next, you should hold down the Command button on your keyboard and then use the mouse to select all the files you want to combine into your PDF. Keep in mind that the app will order your PDF files in the same order that you clicked on them.
Once you have selected all the files you want, you will notice that a Create PDF button will appear on the bottom right side of Finder. Click on that button and then the Finder app will create a new PDF file with all the PDFs in there.
Combine PDF Files with Images
What’s amazing about Mac and the Finder App is that you can add image file formats to your PDF files. We’re talking about files like PNG, TIF, and JPEG, for example.
All you have to do is follow the same instructions as we’ve given above when you want to combine PDF files. However, just select the image files you want to combine into a PDF file. Then when you click Create PDF, you’ll have a PDF file you can open with the images in there.
If you want to, you can use this method to create a PDF file of multiple images, even if they began as different file formats! This is a great way of gathering research into one PDF file that you can look through with ease.
How to Reorder Pages in Your PDF File
It may be that you accidentally put some pages in the wrong order when you create the new PDF file. There is a simple solution for this when using a Mac, and the Preview app offers this solution.
So click on the PDF file in finder and then find the page within it that you wish to reorder. Click on that page to open it up in Preview. Then, if there are no thumbnails visible of your pages, go to the top left corner, click on the View menu, and then switch on your thumbnail view.
Now you can just click on any of the pages you wish to reorder and drag them around until they are where you want them.
Add Pages Quickly From Another PDF File
If you have a PDF file that has a couple of pages in it that you’d like to add to another file, then Mac offers another intuitive and easy solution. The first step is to open up both your PDFs in Preview and minimize them to be side by side on your monitor.
The next step is you find the PDF pages you wish to add to your other PDF file. Then, just drag them over into place.
If you want to drag multiple side-by-side pages, just hold down Shift, and then drag the highlighting box over the pages you want. Then you can drag them over together.
If you have multiple pages that you want to drag over that are scattered throughout the PDF file, then you can hold down the Command button and then select all the pages you want. Once they are all highlighted, drag them over to your other PDF file.
Add Your Signature to a PDF
You might not have realized that you can add your signature to a PDF digitally. The idea is that you can sign PDFs just like you would sign hard-copy documents.
People often send documents over the internet to each other documents to sign out of convenience. It’s much quicker than mail or having to go to a physical location to sign something.
The issue is that in the past, people would have to print out the document, sign a physical document, and then scan that document back into a digital format to send back to the person who sent it to them.
Now there are several ways you can sign a PDF digitally, without needing a printer or scanner to do so. We recommend that you check out this add signature to pdf advice. You’ll soon find a way that’s convenient to sign a PDF if ever you need to.
Now You Know How to Combine PDF Files on a Mac
As you can see, it was easy for us to tell you how to combine pdf files on a Mac, because Apple makes it so simple. All you need to open up the built-in Finder and Preview apps, and hey presto, you’ll combine PDFs in minutes or even seconds!
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Kenneth is a proud native of sydney, born and raised there. However, he pursued his education abroad and studied in Australia. Kenneth has worked as a journalist for almost a decade, making valuable contributions to prominent publications such as Yahoo News and The Verge. Currently, he serves as a journalist for The Hear Up, where he focuses on covering climate and science news. You can reach Kenneth at [email protected].
