How to combine images into one PDF on Mac
Select the images in Finder, right-click, and choose FileMate › Merge into PDF…. Drag them into order, pick a page size such as A4 or US Letter, and click Merge. Each image becomes a page of one PDF. For a single image, FileMate › Create PDF makes a one-page PDF with the same name. macOS’s own Quick Actions › Create PDF also works, without a way to reorder.
Photos of IDs, receipts and signed forms stay on your Mac. FileMate never uploads them.
Turn images into one PDF with FileMate
- Select the photos or scans in Finder: JPEG, PNG, HEIC and other image formats macOS can read.
- Right-click and choose FileMate › Merge into PDF….
- Drag them into order, choose Page size for images, and name the PDF.
- Click Merge. The PDF is saved next to the images.
One image only? Choose FileMate › Create PDF instead: receipt.jpg becomes receipt.pdf.
Page size: which to choose
| Page size | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Automatic | Your region’s paper size: US Letter in the US and Canada, A4 elsewhere |
| A4 | Documents for Europe and most of the world: forms, applications, receipts |
| US Letter | Documents for the United States and Canada |
| Image Size | Photos and artwork, when each page should be exactly the image |
With A4 or US Letter, every page has the same size, which is what printers and most official portals expect.
With built-in macOS tools
Finder: select the images, right-click, and choose Quick Actions › Create PDF. macOS combines them into one PDF, usually in file-name order. To control the order, rename the files first (01 front.jpg, 02 back.jpg).
Preview: select the images in Finder and open them together in Preview. Reorder the thumbnails in the sidebar, select them all, and choose File › Print › PDF › Save as PDF. It works, but it takes several steps, and the print dialog may add margins.
Photos from an iPhone
iPhone photos are usually HEIC. FileMate reads them directly, so you don’t have to convert them to JPEG first. If the PDF is for an upload form with a size limit, check its size afterwards: several full-resolution photos can easily add up to 20 MB or more. FileMate › Compress PDF brings it down.
Is a PDF of photos searchable?
No. A PDF made from photos contains images of the text, not text itself, until it goes through OCR (text recognition). That’s fine for proof of address, receipts and signed forms, which are read by people.
Get FileMate
Photos in, one PDF out, in the order you set. FileMate does it from Finder, on your Mac, without uploading your documents.
Normal price €9.99, now €4.99 incl. VAT
One payment, no subscription. macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon or Intel.