QuireHow to combine PDF files without uploading them
Short answer: on a Mac, Preview can combine PDFs: show the thumbnails and drag one PDF into the sidebar of another. On Windows, free desktop apps such as PDFsam Basic or PDF24 Creator do it offline. In Chrome on any computer, an extension such as Quire PDF can add the pages of one PDF to another.
Chrome’s and Edge’s built-in viewers can’t combine files.
Updated 15 October 2026. Mac steps follow Apple’s Preview guide; other tools as described by their makers.
Combine PDFs with Preview on a Mac
- Keep a copy of the originals
Preview saves changes automatically. Apple suggests choosing File › Duplicate for each PDF first if you want to keep the originals as they are.
- Show the thumbnails
Open the first PDF and choose View › Thumbnails.
- Drag in the other PDF
Drag the second PDF’s icon from the Finder into the sidebar, where you want its pages to go. To add only some pages, open both PDFs and drag thumbnails from one sidebar to the other.
- Put the pages in order
Drag thumbnails up or down in the sidebar until the order is right.
- Check the result
Scroll through the combined PDF. If you started from a duplicate, save it with File › Save.
You can also insert a whole file at a chosen point: select the page that should come before it, then choose Edit › Insert › Page from File.
Combine PDFs on Windows without uploading
Windows has no built-in tool for this, and Edge’s PDF reader doesn’t combine files. Two free desktop apps do, and both say your files stay on your computer:
- PDFsam Basic is free and open source, runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and its makers say it “runs entirely on your own computer, so nothing gets uploaded”. Use its Merge tool, add your files, order them and run it.
- PDF24 Creator is a free Windows app. Its makers say it works offline and files are not uploaded. Note that PDF24 also runs online tools on its website, which do upload; use the installed app.
Combine PDFs in Chrome with Quire PDF
Quire PDF is our extension. It works on the copy of the file in your browser and doesn’t send it anywhere.
- Open the first PDF
Click the Quire PDF icon, choose Open a PDF, or drop the file on the page.
- Open Manage pages
Choose Pages in the toolbar to see the page thumbnails.
- Add the other PDF
Use the Add file button at the top of the panel and pick one or more PDFs.
- Reorder if needed
Drag thumbnails into the order you want.
- Save a copy
Save a copy downloads the combined PDF. Your original files are never overwritten.
Limits
- The combined document must fit within 100 MB.
- Two forms whose fields have the same names can’t be combined; Quire refuses rather than mixing up the answers. Combining a filled form with a non-form PDF, such as a scanned receipt, works. To combine two copies of the same form, flatten one of them first.
- Page copy and paste are turned off, so you can’t duplicate a page.
What online merge sites do with your files
Online tools are convenient, but they work by uploading your PDFs to their servers. Their own pages say how long they keep them: iLovePDF says processed files are deleted within two hours, Smallpdf says within an hour for most tools, and PDF24’s online tools within an hour. That may be fine for a menu or a flyer. For tax returns, contracts or medical letters, a tool on your own computer avoids the question. See how to edit a PDF without uploading it for more.
Questions
Can Chrome merge PDFs on its own?
No. Google’s help for Chrome’s PDF viewer lists reading, drawing, adding text, filling and signing, but nothing for combining files.
Will the bookmarks and links survive?
It depends on the tool and the file. Check the combined PDF before you delete anything.