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How to reorder pages in a PDF

Short answer: open the PDF in a tool that shows page thumbnails, drag the pages into the order you want, and save. On a Mac, Preview does this. On a Chromebook, the Gallery app does. On Windows, use a free desktop app such as PDF24 Creator, or a Chrome extension such as Quire PDF on any computer.

Chrome’s and Edge’s built-in PDF viewers can’t move pages.

Updated 15 October 2026. Mac steps follow Apple’s Preview guide; Chromebook steps follow Google’s Chromebook help.

Reorder pages with Preview on a Mac

  1. Duplicate the PDF if you want to keep the original order

    Preview saves changes automatically. Choose File › Duplicate first and work on the copy.

  2. Show the thumbnails

    Choose View › Thumbnails for a sidebar, or View › Contact Sheet to see all the pages in a grid.

  3. Drag pages to their new place

    Drag a thumbnail up or down, or across the contact sheet. Command-click to select several pages and move them together.

  4. Save

    Scroll through to check the order. If you’re working on a duplicate, choose File › Save and give it a name.

Reorder pages on a Chromebook

PDFs open in the Gallery app. Open the side panel with the arrow at the top left, then drag a page thumbnail up or down; Google’s help also gives Ctrl+↑ and Ctrl+↓. Use the arrow beside Save to save as a new file. More in how to edit a PDF on a Chromebook.

Reorder pages on Windows

Windows has no built-in way, and Edge’s PDF reader doesn’t rearrange pages. PDF24 Creator is a free Windows app whose makers list adding, removing, sorting and moving pages, and say files stay on your PC. Open the PDF in its PDF tools, drag the pages, and save.

Reorder pages in Chrome with Quire PDF

Quire PDF is our extension. It runs inside Chrome, and the file stays on your computer.

  1. Open the PDF

    Click the Quire PDF icon, choose Open a PDF, or drop the file on the page.

  2. Open Manage pages

    Choose Pages in the toolbar. The panel shows a thumbnail of each page.

  3. Drag the thumbnails

    Drag a page to its new place. Your highlights, notes and filled fields move with it.

  4. Save a copy

    Save a copy downloads the reordered PDF and leaves the original file untouched.

Quire PDF turns off page copy, cut and paste, so you can’t duplicate a page; dragging is the way to move one. While the panel is open you can also delete pages, export selected pages or add another PDF.

Quire PDF with a document open and the annotation toolbar: Note, Sign, Highlight, Text, Draw, Image
The Quire PDF toolbar. Pages opens the page thumbnails, where you drag pages into a new order.

Questions

Can I reorder PDF pages in Chrome without an extension?

No. Google’s help for Chrome’s PDF viewer has no page tools beyond rotating the view. Use an extension, or a desktop app.

Will reordering break a fillable form?

It shouldn’t, but open the saved file and click a field or two before you send it.

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