Litag8r
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Q: Yosemite: Preview Won't Manipulate or Merge PDFs

Using Yosemite 10.10 on 10-18-14 with a Macbook Pro Retina Early 2013, I can't manipulate PDFs using Preview 8.0.  The PDF is not locked, and I have full read/write permission.

 

I can open a PDF.  I can delete a page in a PDF. I can rotate a page in the PDF.  However, I CAN'T move a page from one location to another within the same PDF.  I CAN'T merge the contents of one PDF into another PDF.

 

When I try to move a page within a PDF a "hole" opens up between the pages (that slid apart to allow the page to be moved there) but the page is not moved to that location and the "hole" does not close up until the PDF is closed and reopened.  When I drag the source PDF to the desired position inside the thumbnail on the left side of the recipient PDF, the thumbnail pages slide apart and the green + appears over the icon for the source PDF confirming that I want to add the PDF in that location.  However when I release the mouse, the document springs back to its former location without being added.  Unlike in an attempted page move, however, the thumbnails slide back together.

 

I have to manipulate PDFs all the time, and if anyone can tell me what I'm (suddenly) doing wrong, I would be most appreciative.  I have Adobe Acrobat, so I can work around the problem, but Acrobat is slow and difficult to work with.  Thanks in advance.

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Yosemite (10.10)

Posted on Oct 18, 2014 9:55 AM

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Q: Yosemite: Preview Won't Manipulate or Merge PDFs

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  • by Gregg Palmer,

    Gregg Palmer Gregg Palmer Dec 4, 2014 4:32 AM in response to Litag8r
    Level 1 (19 points)
    iPhone
    Dec 4, 2014 4:32 AM in response to Litag8r

    Actually Apple has continuously improved Previews ability to edit and annotate. I would not consider dragging and dropping to combine PDF's as "arcane". In every version up to Yosemite, there has been no problem combining PDF's with Preview. I would suggest that everyone provide feedback for this issue.

  • by Sordidloam,

    Sordidloam Sordidloam Dec 5, 2014 7:17 AM in response to VikingOSX
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 5, 2014 7:17 AM in response to VikingOSX

    VikingOSX

     

    Just a heads up Viking.  If you go to help and search for Combine PDF or Comb for short, there is a help article showing you how to combine a pdf.  Do NOT be so quick to defend a 'bug'.  I suggest you do your homework next time before you decide to school users on what Apple does and does not intend to do.

     

    Yes this is a bug, how do we know?  There is a help article page built into OS 10.10 on how to do it, and following those instructions had no affect on combining a pdf. 

  • by sarafrommaplewood,

    sarafrommaplewood sarafrommaplewood Dec 5, 2014 8:58 AM in response to Gregg Palmer
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 5, 2014 8:58 AM in response to Gregg Palmer

    Thanks for this post.  I too expect this to work in Yosemite.  I do think it has something to do with annotated documents, however this should be an easy problem to resolve, especially since they just updated the 'how to' doc for this exact tool less than two weeks ago.  Come Apple, fix what's broke.

  • by Sordidloam,

    Sordidloam Sordidloam Dec 5, 2014 9:09 AM in response to sarafrommaplewood
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 5, 2014 9:09 AM in response to sarafrommaplewood

    I am not sure that I caught the same "annotated" variable.  I have two screen shots that I am working with.  Nothing special about these screenshots, other than they are .png files. 

  • by Ariel484,

    Ariel484 Ariel484 Dec 5, 2014 4:14 PM in response to Litag8r
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 5, 2014 4:14 PM in response to Litag8r

    I had exactly the same problem with the first PDF's I tried to manipulate after upgrade to Yosemite.

    What I have found is that if the PDF which won't  manipulate is 'exported' using preview the resulting PDF file then can be manipulated & pages moved/ merged between documents just as as before the upgrade to Yosemite. A bit cumbersome but worth trying.

  • by Marco From Austin,

    Marco From Austin Marco From Austin Dec 5, 2014 4:35 PM in response to Litag8r
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 5, 2014 4:35 PM in response to Litag8r

    Using late 2009 21 inch iMac, Yosemite and Preview 8.0.  I can no longer merge PDF documents by drag and drop.  Pre-Yosemite, it worked fine. It didn't matter if the PDF was created from a scanner or using Adobe. I use Preview for work and need a fix for this.

  • by zacaghion,

    zacaghion zacaghion Dec 6, 2014 8:29 AM in response to Litag8r
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 6, 2014 8:29 AM in response to Litag8r

    I am also having this problem. When opening several JPGs from a scanned document in Preview, I was previously able to drag one thumbnail on top of another in the left-hand sidebar of Preview to merge the two. I am still able to rearrange the files in the sidebar, but I am unable to merge them - i.e.: there is no green '+' button which I expect to appear when dragging one on top of the other.

     

    Please fix!

  • by sjmcdonald7,

    sjmcdonald7 sjmcdonald7 Dec 8, 2014 9:30 AM in response to Ariel484
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 8, 2014 9:30 AM in response to Ariel484

    This work-around is not a fix, but its got me back to work. Thanks for the tip. I found that any annotations that are made to the file become a permanent part of the file and non-editable after the export to PDF. Good thing to keep in mind if you need to go back an make further annotations. Thanks Ariel484

  • by anyid,

    anyid anyid Dec 9, 2014 2:43 PM in response to sjmcdonald7
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 9, 2014 2:43 PM in response to sjmcdonald7

    Has anyone else filed a bug report of this? I have but it would have more weight if others did also. Thank you.

  • by slisa567,

    slisa567 slisa567 Dec 10, 2014 4:08 PM in response to Litag8r
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 10, 2014 4:08 PM in response to Litag8r

    I found a solution!!!  & then made a video about to help others and myself later, should I forget.   I am not the best writer either and explaining would be harder / not as effective as the video and needed an excuse to procrastinate studying for finals.  IDK there is a bug just a little tricky to figure out.

     

    http://youtu.be/UaItVHlaMRI

  • by anyid,

    anyid anyid Dec 11, 2014 9:50 AM in response to slisa567
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 11, 2014 9:50 AM in response to slisa567

    Thanks for the post but this method also does not work for me for the affected files.

  • by jameson,

    jameson jameson Dec 12, 2014 7:35 PM in response to Litag8r
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 12, 2014 7:35 PM in response to Litag8r

    I was able to merge 2 pdfs in preview by opening both of them then dragging the thumbnail pages of one into the other. Prior to Yosemite you could just drag the entire pdf document from your desktop into the thumbnails of an open pdf. Doesn't seem to work that easily anymore.

  • by smackit,Helpful

    smackit smackit Dec 16, 2014 1:33 PM in response to Litag8r
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Dec 16, 2014 1:33 PM in response to Litag8r

    I think I found the solution to this latest Apple disaster.

    The multi-page pdf files that you want to merge together have to be new “virgin” files.  Here’s what worked for me:

     

    Open both of the documents that you want to merge together.

    Select "Command P” as if you were going to print them.

    When the print dialog window opens, select “Open in PDF Preview” from the PDF drop down menu.

    The copies that open can then be manipulated or merged in any way you want and it doesn’t matter if they have been previously annotated.

     

    Seems like kind of a lame way of doing it, but it worked (for me anyways)... Hope this helps some of you out.

  • by Litag8r,

    Litag8r Litag8r Dec 16, 2014 2:32 PM in response to smackit
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 16, 2014 2:32 PM in response to smackit

    I have already purchased Adobe Acrobat Professional to do most manipulation.  That always works.  However the trick to Open in Preview to create a "virgin" PDF might come in hands.  Thanks!

     

    I hope Apple fixes Preview pretty soon. 

  • by Litag8r,

    Litag8r Litag8r Dec 16, 2014 2:33 PM in response to slisa567
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 16, 2014 2:33 PM in response to slisa567

    Sorry, but this did not work for me either.  It appears to have something to do with "virgin" vs. annotated PDF documents.  Virgin files work, others don't in my testing.

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