Converting
Combine Several Images Into One PDF on Mac
Select the images in Finder, right-click, and choose Quick Actions > Create PDF. macOS makes one PDF with one image per page, in file-name order. It is free and built in. Preview can do the same, and so can one ImageMagick command.
How do I combine images into one PDF in Finder?
- Select the images in a Finder window.
- Control-click (right-click) one of them.
- Choose Quick Actions > Create PDF.
The PDF appears in the same folder. Pages follow the file names, so rename files 01, 02, 03 first if order matters. If you do not see Quick Actions, turn on Create PDF in System Settings > Extensions > Finder.
How do I merge photos into a PDF in Preview?
Preview gives you control over page order.
- Select all the images in Finder and press Command-O. They open in one Preview window.
- Show the sidebar (View > Thumbnails) and drag thumbnails into the order you want.
- Choose File > Print, select every page in the sidebar, then use the PDF menu at the bottom left > Save as PDF.
Use File > Print rather than Export as PDF here. Export as PDF saves only the page you have selected.
Can I combine images into a PDF from Terminal?
macOS does not include a merge command for images, but ImageMagick (installed with Homebrew) does it in one line. We ran it on three 1600 × 1200 JPEGs.
magick p1.jpg p2.jpg p3.jpg combined.pdfqpdf reported 3 pages. The three JPEGs were about 275 to 291 KB each; the combined PDF was 857,859 bytes, so roughly the sum of the inputs. Pages are the pixel size of each image, as with a single JPG converted to PDF.
If you already have separate one-page PDFs, qpdf --empty --pages a.pdf b.pdf -- out.pdf joins them. See the sips command guide for the per-image conversion step.
How do I make every page the same size?
Mixed photos and screenshots give pages of different sizes, which looks messy when printed or scrolled. Fit every image onto a Letter page with one command:
magick p1.jpg p3.jpg -resize 612x792 -background white -gravity center -extent 612x792 -units PixelsPerInch -density 72 even.pdfIn our test this gave 2 pages, and page 2 measured 612 × 792 points, the same as page 1. The file was 103,287 bytes because the photos were scaled down to fit. Each image is centered on white with no cropping. Use 595x842 for A4. In Preview, the Print dialog does the same job with Paper Size and Scale to Fit.
Which way should I pick?
| Method | Page order | Needs install |
|---|---|---|
| Finder, Quick Actions > Create PDF | File-name order | No |
| Preview, thumbnails then Print > Save as PDF | Drag to reorder | No |
| magick in Terminal | Order of the arguments | Yes, ImageMagick |
| Smol | Not applicable: one PDF per image | Yes, $29 |
How do I make the combined PDF smaller?
A multi-image PDF carries every image at full size, so a stack of phone photos gets heavy fast. Two routes work. Shrink the images before you combine them, using our comparison of image compression methods. Or compress the finished file, as covered in how to compress a PDF on Mac. For email limits, compress a PDF for email lists the usual caps.
When is Smol the wrong tool for this?
Smol is the wrong tool for merging. We checked: given several images and PDF as the target, Smol wrote one separate PDF per image (we got p2_converted.pdf and p3_converted.pdf from two inputs). It does not merge or reorder pages. Use Finder or Preview, which are free.
Smol helps on either side of the merge. It can shrink a big folder of photos before you combine them, from a Finder right-click, with nothing uploaded, and it can compress the PDF afterward. Smol is $29, once, for one Mac. If you only combine files now and then, you do not need it. See the best image converter for Mac for the wider picture.
How we checked this
Combined three synthetic 1600 x 1200 JPEGs with ImageMagick 7.1.2 on macOS 27.0.1 and counted pages with qpdf. Ran Smol convert to PDF on two JPEGs and counted outputs. Finder and Preview menu paths come from Apple documentation and were not run. Facts last checked . We make Smol, so treat our claims about it with the same care as any vendor’s, and see our editorial policy.
Combining images into a PDF: common questions
How do I put multiple photos into one PDF on a Mac?
Select the photos in Finder, right-click, and choose Quick Actions > Create PDF. macOS creates one PDF with a page per photo, in file-name order. For custom order, open them in Preview, drag the thumbnails around, then use File > Print > Save as PDF.
Can I change the page order after combining?
Yes. Open the PDF in Preview, show thumbnails, and drag pages into a new order. Then choose File > Save. You can also delete a page by selecting its thumbnail and pressing Delete. Both steps work on any PDF without extra software.
Why does Export as PDF only save one image?
Preview’s File > Export as PDF saves the page currently selected. To get every image into one file, use File > Print with all thumbnails selected, then PDF > Save as PDF. The Finder Quick Action Create PDF avoids the issue entirely.
Does Smol combine images into one PDF?
No. We tested it with two JPEGs and PDF as the target, and it produced two separate PDFs. Smol converts and compresses each file on its own. Use Finder or Preview to merge, then Smol to compress the result if it is too large.
Will combining images make the PDF huge?
The PDF is roughly the sum of the image sizes. Our three JPEGs of about 275 to 291 KB each gave an 857,859 byte PDF. Large phone photos add up quickly, so shrink them before combining if there is an upload limit.
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