How to Merge PDF Files on iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows

Published 2026-10-24

Job portals, landlords, schools and accountants often ask for “one PDF”. If your documents are spread across several files, you need to merge them. Some devices can do this with built-in apps, and others need help. Here is the quickest method for each one.

The method that works everywhere

Our Merge PDF tool runs in any modern browser on a phone, tablet or computer:

  1. Open the tool and tap “Choose PDF files”.
  2. Select all the PDFs you want to combine.
  3. Use the arrows to put them in order. The top file becomes the first pages.
  4. Tap “Merge PDFs” and then “Download merged PDF”.

The files are combined inside your browser and are not uploaded, so it is safe for bank statements, IDs and contracts. Pages are copied without re-compression, so text stays sharp and searchable.

On an iPhone or iPad

Apple’s Files app can combine PDFs without any extra app:

  1. Save the PDFs into the same folder in the Files app (from Mail, tap and hold an attachment and choose “Save to Files”).
  2. Tap the “…” button at the top right, then “Select”.
  3. Tap the files in the order you want them combined.
  4. Tap the “…” button at the bottom right and choose “Create PDF”.

A new PDF appears in the same folder. If the pages end up in the wrong order, rename the originals with numbers first (1-cover, 2-resume and so on), or use the browser tool above, where you can reorder files freely.

On an Android phone

Android does not include a dedicated merge feature in its standard Files app. The simplest option is to open the Merge PDF tool in Chrome, choose your files from Downloads or Google Drive, and merge them there. Nothing needs to be installed.

On a Mac

Preview, the built-in PDF viewer, can merge files:

  1. Open the first PDF in Preview.
  2. Choose View → Thumbnails to show the page sidebar.
  3. Drag the other PDF files from Finder into the sidebar, dropping them where you want their pages to go.
  4. Choose File → Export as PDF to save the combined document under a new name.

Saving as a new file keeps your originals untouched.

On Windows

Windows does not include a tool that merges existing PDFs. “Microsoft Print to PDF” can turn a single document into a PDF but cannot join several PDFs. Use the browser tool in Edge or Chrome instead; it works the same way as on a phone.

Getting the order and size right

  • Put the most important document first. Reviewers often only skim the first pages. A cover letter or summary belongs at the front.
  • Remove pages you do not need first. If a bank statement has a blank last page or marketing inserts, cut them out with Split PDF before merging.
  • Watch the file size limit. Upload portals and email services commonly cap attachments somewhere between a few megabytes and about 25 MB. If photos are making your PDF large, compress them before turning them into a PDF.
  • Name the file clearly. Something like Lastname-Firstname-Application.pdf is easier for the recipient than merged.pdf.

What does not carry over

Merging copies the visible pages. Fillable form fields, bookmarks and digital signatures from the originals may not survive, because they belong to each file’s internal structure. If a document has been digitally signed, send it as a separate file so the signature remains valid.

Password-protected PDFs

Locked PDFs cannot be merged until they are unlocked. Open the file with its password in your PDF reader and save or print a copy without protection, then merge that copy. Only do this with documents you are entitled to edit.

Quick summary

  • iPhone and iPad: Files app → Select → Create PDF.
  • Mac: Preview → drag files into the thumbnail sidebar → Export as PDF.
  • Android and Windows: use a browser-based merge tool.
  • Any device, with full control over order: Merge PDF.