My PDF documents won't merge

Of the various solutions for merging two one-page PDFs, the one using the Edit menu worked immediately for me (using El Capitan) – previously posted, restated here:

1. Open the PDF which you want to be p. 1.

2. From the Edit menu in Preview, select Insert>Page from File...

3. Select the other one-page PDF and click "Open." It will become p. 2 of the PDF you opened first.

4. Save.

I had the same problem. There are apparently two different kinds of PDF docs that Preview recognizes, the single-page and the multi-page.

To merge an additional page into a Multi-page is easy (see below), but I have never found out how to make Preview change a "single-page" into a "multi-page" PDF. Instead, if I want to combine a bunch of one-page PDFʻs into a single multi-page file, I go the somewhat un-classy route of making a copy of some random little multi-page PDF I have lying around, and re-naming the copy. Then I add all the PDFʻs I want to be in the new file to the renamed copy, and finally delete all of the unwanted original pages to get the merged file I want. Very gorpy, but until Apple gets some competent Human Engineers on its staff, it will have to do. And it has the great recommendation that IT WORKS!

Hereʻs how I add single pages to a multi-page file:-

With both docs open, show the sidebars of both docs. The multi-page should be expanded and show thumbnails for all its included pages, and the top (first) page will have a rotary arrow in a circle pointing to the right. If there is only one page showing, move the cursor over that page and a rotary arrow should appear, pointing to the left. Click on that arrow and it should flip to the right and all the pages should appear in order below.

Now go to the file that you want to add to the multi-page, and select the thumbnail in the sidebar. Then drag it over to the multi-page sidebar and drop it where you want it in the series of page-thumbnails (a red line will snap to where it is going). When you first drag it over the multi-page sidebar there should appear a gray box covering all the pages now in the multi-page; be sure to drop your new page within the gray box, even if you want to add it at the end - if you drop it outside that box it wonʻt be added to the multi-page but will merely show in the window.

Of course, this works for me, in the Hawaii Standard Time Zone, with OS 10.6.8 and Preview version 5.0.3 They are mine and Iʻm going to keep them forever! (hopefully, but who knows the future?)

Good luck!

You may be running into the same problem I had until I figured out that I was trying to merge 2 non-PDF documents which was causing the problem.

First, make sure the documents that you wish to combine are saved in PDF format. When I had first scanned the hard copies of the documents onto my system, it was initially saved in JPEG mode. Whenever I tried to combine one JPEG document with another JPEG document, Previews would not allow the documents to merge.

So I then converted and saved each document into PDF format. Next, I opened each PDF version of the documents in Preview, and opened the thumbnail preview. I then dragged one of the document thumbnails over onto the top of the other document thumbnail, and voila!, they merged.

This gave me a Headache for way too long.

ANSWER.... Preview ≠ PDF

SOLUTION....

With your 1st document: Select "File" > "Export as PDF" > Save

With your 2nd document: Select "File" > "Export as PDF" > Save

Open the two PDF documents you just saved.

Now, using the PDF files, you can successfully merge pages & documents as described in the Apple Support forum the Apple Suport forum!!!

I had the exact same problem. I finally tried "Print to PDF" after steps 1-3, and that worked. This page needs to be updated with a proper final step: OS X: Combining PDF documents using Preview - Apple Support

I have FINALLY figured out how to solve this issue simply. When I scan, for example, 5 documents in and try combining them with the thumbnails process described herein, Preview will save as 5 separate documents instead of one single document consisting of all pages. I have been burned several times sending as email attachments and missing deadlines because only the first page was included. Out of frustration I was using an online .pdf merger, but that ***** for many reasons.

When you drag all the thumbnails together so you are viewing it as if it were a single document, bring up the "print" menu and instead of sending to printer, select "open as .pdf file in viewer." When it does it will convert to a single file, which you can then save. I hope I've explained this well, because this has had me incredibly frustrated over the last several months. Good luck.

I had the same problem. Here's how I solved it:

- Open the destination file

- Go to Edit > Insert > Page from file...

- Select the pdf file you want to insert

When I did that, it asked for a password. I ignored it and clicked on "Edit without saving" and it worked. And I was able to save it, no problem.

I was having this same difficulty, but discovered by accident that it works if you drop one of the thumbnails directly on top of the other thumbnail. It won't work if you just drop it in the thumbnails sidebar, which is what I was originally doing.

I had this same problem, using OS X Lion and Preview. I had no 'Page from file...' option under Edit > Insert so couldn't follow fmomiano's directions.

I've used the 'drag thumbnails where you want them' routine described above in the past with no problems, this was the first time it hadn't worked. It appears that the document I had was password protected (though I was never prompted for a password) and was created by Adobe Pagemaker 7.0, and encoded using Acrobat Distiller for Windows. Don't know if the creator/encoder really matters.

What I did to solve the problem was to make a duplicate and then follow the directions above. Worked perfectly.

This might also help anyone else that stumbles across this thread:

2 PDF's won't combine into 1 file?

Apple doesn’t routinely monitor the discussions. These are mostly user to user discussions.

Send Apple feedback. They won't answer, but at least will know there is a problem or a suggestion for change. If enough people send feedback, it may get the problem/suggested change solved sooner.

Feedback

Thanks Eric - I agree, no-one at Apple really cares about the users feedback nowadays (If they did, Final Cut X would never have been released in the way it was), but at least it allows us to vent our frustrations !

In the "unlikely" scenario that I do receive a reply from Apple, I'll post back here.

Footnote:

Well that just about sums it up nicely, following Eric's link (http://www.apple.com/feedback/), Preview isn't even shown in the options - they clearly have decided it's not worthy of getting feedback from their (frustrated) customers. Unless anyone knows where \they've hidden it, I'll send feedback in the OSX option!

How to combine PDF documents using Preview

Have had this same issue since I started using macs in 2006... Have fumbled through all the clunky solutions mentioned above... I do believe that RainMeister is onto something with trying to merge jpgs... If you're, in fact, stumped by all the usual tricks not working, I would almost guarantee you're trying to merge jpgs.

SO HERE'S THE ANSWER!!! (for merging jpgs in preview into a single PDF)

With all of your jpegs in one preview window (all jpgs showing in the thumbnail bar on the left), print to PDF. Voila... done.

I'll probably forget this the next time I'm stumped as to why preview won't merge "pdfs"... hope I find my answer! =)

The key I found was that you need to make sure the files you are combining are already in PDF format, and that in the sidebar you need to open the triangle so you see all the pages in the target document and that you drag above the grey line that appears to make sure they combine.

Yes! This worked. Drop it right on top. Then you can rearrange the pages as you want. I could not get it to save into a new combined PDF dropping the pages below the page already in the original PDF. Thank you