How to Combine Multiple PDF Files in iOS

The Portable Document File (PDF) format has come a long way since it was created by Adobe in the early 1990s, with it now being one of the most popular document file types. The main advantage it offers over a regular Document file (.doc) is the inability to edit any content in it. Thus, the file cannot be (easily) edited / changed by anyone else, which provides a secure medium for your data.

Although there are various PDF editing tools for Windows/Mac/Linux, there’s a lack of good PDF-editing apps for iOS. This brings some difficulties for those who are fond of using PDF files on their phones. Fortunately, Apple’s Shortcuts apps have a solution for this. If you’d like to merge multiple PDF files on your iOS device, you can download and add a shortcut to perform this function easily!

This method requires you to have Apple’s Shortcuts app installed on your iPhone/iPad. You can download the app from the App Store on devices running iOS 12 or later. Once installed, continue down below

Also read: How to Create Siri Shortcuts on Your iPhone and iPad

1. Install the “Merge PDFs” shortcut on your iPad and iPhone. This shortcut has been created by Apple itself, so you shouldn’t have any security or privacy concerns. As with any other shortcut, you can customize the settings to your liking, but we won’t recommend doing it since it already works fine, and changing a specific setting might make it stop functioning properly.

2. Once the shortcut is installed, open the app where you have your PDF files saved. We recommend saving it in the Files app (Apple’s default app for third-party file storage).

3. Select the PDF files that you’d like to merge.

4. Click the Share icon in the bottom-left of the screen.

Also read: 20 of the Best Siri Shortcuts for iOS Power Users

5. From the bottom row of the menu, tap on Shortcuts. If you can’t see it, tap on More and enable the option for Shortcuts.

6. Click on “Merge PDF.” This step might take some time, depending on the size of the PDF files being merged.

Also read: How to Change File Extensions on iPhone

7. Once Shortcuts is done merging the PDF files, it’ll allow you to name the new combined PDF file. Once named, tap on Done.

Also read: How to Add PDF Shortcut to Home Screen on Android and iPhone

8. Select the location where you’d like to save your merged PDF file, and tap on “Add” to finish.

Apple’s Shortcuts app has proven to be very helpful and useful over time, and this shortcut is no different. The ability to merge PDF files with only a few taps is a feature that most devices should have built in by default. However, that’s not the case. But the Shortcuts app makes the whole process much easier than using a third-party app for this sole purpose.