A practical guide

How to combine screenshots into one PDF on a Mac.

A PDF opens almost anywhere, so it’s a safe way to send several screenshots as one file. Here are three ways to make one. The first two are free and already on your Mac.

1. Finder: Create PDF

Free and built in. The fastest way to get one page per screenshot.

1. In Finder, select the screenshots you want. Hold ⌘ and click to pick them one by one.
2. Control-click one of them and choose Quick Actions → Create PDF.
3. A new PDF appears in the same folder, with one screenshot per page. Rename it, then attach it.

If the pages come out in the wrong order, open the PDF in Preview, drag the page thumbnails in the sidebar into place, and save.

2. Preview: set the order first

Free and built in. Good when the order or the page size matters.

1. Select the screenshots in Finder, Control-click, and choose Open With → Preview. They open together in one window.
2. If you don’t see the sidebar, choose View → Thumbnails. Drag the thumbnails into the order you want.
3. Click a thumbnail, press ⌘A to select them all, then choose File → Print.
4. Open the PDF menu in the print window and choose Save as PDF.

Each screenshot becomes its own page, and you can set the paper size and scaling in the print window. To add arrows or text, use Markup on each screenshot before you print.

3. SnapTrellis: one page that explains itself

Free for 14 days, then $19.99 once. Good when the PDF has to make sense on its own.

1. Capture with ⌥⇧4. Each screenshot joins a group with the rest of the thread, and you can add a label on the small card beside it.
2. To point at a detail, drop a lettered marker and type a note. Blur anything private.
3. Click Preview on the group, then choose Share → Save As → PDF.

You get one PDF page with the group’s name on top, each screenshot numbered with its label, and your notes listed underneath, like a one-page report. The trade-offs: it’s a single page rather than one page per screenshot, and it’s a paid app after the trial.

Side by side

Which should you use?

For a quick attachment, Finder’s Create PDF is hard to beat. If the order matters, use Preview. If the person reading needs to know what they’re looking at, and you send screenshots often, SnapTrellis adds the title, numbers, and notes for you.

Want one image instead of a PDF? See 3 ways to combine screenshots on a Mac. Sending them in an email or chat? See how to send multiple screenshots so they make sense. Whichever you choose, check every page for private details before you send it.