How to Merge PDF Files on iPhone and iPad

Method 1: Merge PDFs with the Files app

Recent versions of iOS and iPadOS can combine files directly in the Files app. It’s free, offline and good for quick jobs.

1. Save all the PDFs into the same folder in Files (On My iPhone, iCloud Drive or another location). From Mail or Messages, long-press the attachment and choose Save to Files.
2. Open that folder and tap the ••• button (top-right), then Select.
3. Tap each PDF you want to combine.
4. Tap the ••• button in the bottom-right corner and choose Create PDF.
5. A new PDF appears in the same folder. Rename it by long-pressing it and choosing Rename.

The limitation is order. Files combines the documents in the order they’re sorted in the folder, not the order you tapped them. The easiest workaround is to rename the files first — “1 Cover”, “2 Contract”, “3 Appendix” — and sort the folder by name.

Method 2: Merge in Safari with FaaTools

A browser tool is handy when you want to drag files into a specific order, mix PDFs from different places, or do the same job on a Windows PC or Android phone later. Merge PDF runs entirely inside Safari: the PDFs are combined on your iPhone and never uploaded to a server.

1. Open faatools.com/tools/pdf-merge in Safari.
2. Tap the upload area. iOS shows a menu — choose Choose Files (or Browse) to pick PDFs from the Files app. You can select several at once.
3. Reorder the files in the list so they’re in the sequence you want.
4. Tap Merge PDF, then download the result.
5. Safari saves the merged file to the Downloads folder in the Files app. Tap the download icon in Safari’s address bar to open it straight away.

If you need to shuffle individual pages — not just whole files — or remove a page you didn’t mean to include, open the merged file in Organize PDF afterwards.

Method 3: Build a reusable Shortcut

If you merge PDFs regularly — weekly invoices, for example — the Shortcuts app can turn it into a one-tap action in the Share sheet.

1. Open Shortcuts and tap + to create a new shortcut.
2. Open the shortcut’s settings and turn on Show in Share Sheet, accepting PDFs as input.
3. Add the Make PDF action, which combines the input files into one document.
4. Add a Save File action so you can choose where the merged PDF goes.
5. Name the shortcut “Merge PDFs”. Now select several PDFs in Files, tap Share and choose it.

Action names can shift slightly between iOS releases, but Make PDF and Save File have been available for several years.

Combining photos or scans into one PDF

If you photographed a multi-page document, you don’t need to make separate PDFs first. Either scan it with the Notes app (tap the camera icon, then Scan Documents) which produces a single multi-page PDF, or put your photos together with Image to PDF, which turns JPG or PNG pictures into one PDF in the order you choose.

Which method should you use?

All three keep your documents on your device. That matters for things like tax returns and ID scans, which many “free PDF” apps upload to their servers.