How to Reorder PDF Pages: Rearrange Pages for Free

Your PDF has the pages in the wrong order. Maybe you scanned a document and some pages ended up out of sequence, or you combined multiple PDFs and the sections are jumbled. Reordering PDF pages is straightforward with the right tool. Here are the best free methods.

Method 1: Online PDF Page Reorder Tools

The fastest way to rearrange PDF pages — works on any device with a browser:

1. Go to a free tool like PDF24 Tools (Sort PDF), iLovePDF (Organize PDF), or Sejda.
2. Upload your PDF file.
3. You will see thumbnail previews of all pages.
4. Drag and drop pages into the order you want.
5. Click Apply or Sort.
6. Download the reordered PDF.

PDF24 Tools is completely free with no file size limits for sorting. iLovePDF and Sejda have generous free tiers (up to 200 pages for Sejda).

Method 2: Mac Preview (Built-in)

Mac users can reorder PDF pages without any additional software:

1. Open the PDF in Preview.
2. Show the sidebar with thumbnails: click View > Thumbnails.
3. Click and drag any page thumbnail to its new position in the sidebar.
4. Rearrange as many pages as needed.
5. Close the file and save when prompted.

This is the simplest method if you are on a Mac. Preview saves changes directly to the original file, so make a backup copy first if you want to keep the original page order.

Method 3: Windows — PDF24 Creator

PDF24 Creator is a free desktop app for Windows that handles page reordering:

1. Download and install PDF24 Creator (free).
2. Open PDF24 and load your PDF.
3. Page thumbnails appear in the main window.
4. Drag and drop pages to reorder them.
5. Click Save when done.

PDF24 also lets you rotate, delete, and merge pages while you are reordering — making it a solid all-in-one tool.

Method 4: Google Chrome

You can use Chrome's print-to-PDF feature to reorder pages manually:

1. Open the PDF in Chrome.
2. Press Ctrl+P (or Cmd+P).
3. Set the printer to Save as PDF.
4. In the Pages field, type the page numbers in your desired order. For example, if a 6-page PDF needs the last page first: "6, 1-5".
5. Click Save.

This works for simple reordering. For complex rearrangements, use a drag-and-drop tool instead.

Method 5: iPhone and iPad

Rearrange PDF pages directly on iOS:

1. Open the PDF in the Files app.
2. Tap the thumbnail view icon.
3. Touch and hold a page thumbnail, then drag it to the new position.
4. Release to drop it in place.
5. Repeat for any other pages you want to move.

For more advanced page management on iPhone, PDF Expert (free tier) offers a dedicated page management interface with drag-and-drop thumbnails.

Method 6: Command Line — qpdf

For scripted or batch reordering, use qpdf:

# Reorder: put page 6 first, then pages 1-5 qpdf --empty --pages input.pdf 6,1-5 -- output.pdf

You can specify any page order as a comma-separated list. Ranges like 1-5 are also supported. Install qpdf via Homebrew on Mac (brew install qpdf) or apt on Linux.

Reordering After Merging PDFs

When you merge multiple PDFs into one, the pages appear in the order you added the files. If the order is wrong after merging, use any of the methods above to fix it. Some merge tools (like PDF24 and iLovePDF) let you rearrange pages during the merge process itself, saving you a step.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does reordering pages affect PDF quality?

No. Reordering pages is a lossless operation. The pages maintain their exact content, formatting, and quality — they are just in a different sequence.

Can I reorder pages in a password-protected PDF?

You need to unlock the PDF first. Open it with the password and create an unlocked copy (Print to PDF), then reorder the unlocked version.

Can I reverse all pages in a PDF?

Yes. PDF24 Tools has a "Reverse page order" option that flips the entire document. For qpdf, you can script this by generating the page numbers in reverse order.

Can I reorder pages across two different PDFs?

First merge the PDFs into one file, then reorder pages using any of the methods above.