How do I combine multiple PDFs into one PDF on mac?

Using the join.py script is an excellent, free way to combine PDF documents on Mac. It's a hidden gem that comes built-in with macOS. The script is located deep within the system folders and is designed to do exactly what you need via the Terminal. This makes it a perfect tool if you want to combine PDF documents on Mac without installing any third-party software.

How to Use join.py to Combine PDF documents on Mac

The script is already on your Mac and ready to use. You can run it directly from the Terminal app.

The Basic Command Format:

bash

"/System/Library/Automator/Combine PDF Pages.action/Contents/Resources/join.py" -o OUTPUT.pdf INPUT1.pdf INPUT2.pdf

This command tells the script to take the files INPUT1.pdf and INPUT2.pdf and merge them into a single file called OUTPUT.pdf.

Merge multiple files in a specific order:

bash

"/System/Library/Automator/Combine PDF Pages.action/Contents/Resources/join.py" -o combined.pdf file1.pdf file2.pdf file3.pdf

Merge all PDFs in a folder by using a wildcard (*):

bash

"/System/Library/Automator/Combine PDF Pages.action/Contents/Resources/join.py" -o combined.pdf *.pdf

A Note on macOS Versions

• On newer versions of macOS, the script has moved to a slightly different location:
• "/System/Library/Automator/Combine PDF Pages.action/Contents/MacOS/join"

A known limitation is that this script might not preserve hyperlinks from the original PDFs.