PDF Joiner now supports Linux with automatic tool detection and installation. The tool works on all major Linux distributions and provides the same simple interface as the macOS version.

If you haven’t read about PDF Joiner before, check out my original post about the Mac version where I explain the motivation behind creating this free command-line utility.

Quick Setup

1. Check Your CPU Architecture

First, determine your system architecture:

uname -m

• If output is x86_64 → use amd64 binary
• If output is aarch64 or arm64 → use arm64 binary

2. Download the Correct Binary

For 64-bit Intel/AMD systems (x86_64):

curl -L https://github.com/vinitkumar/pdf-joiner/releases/download/v1.2.9/pdf-joiner-linux-amd64 -o pdf-joiner

For ARM64 systems (aarch64):

curl -L https://github.com/vinitkumar/pdf-joiner/releases/download/v1.2.9/pdf-joiner-linux-arm64 -o pdf-joiner

3. Make It Executable

chmod +x pdf-joiner

4. Run It

./pdf-joiner file1.pdf file2.pdf file3.pdf

First Run Setup

On first run, the tool automatically:

1. Detects your Linux distribution
2. Installs required PDF tools if missing
3. Asks for sudo permission to install dependencies

Example first run:

$ ./pdf-joiner file1.pdf file2.pdf No PDF joining tools found. Attempting to install them... Detected Linux distribution: ubuntu Installing PDF tools for Ubuntu/Debian... [sudo] password for user: PDF tools installed successfully! Successfully joined PDFs into: combined_20250625_143812.pdf

Supported Linux Distributions

Distribution	Package Manager	Auto-Install
Ubuntu/Debian	apt-get	✅
Fedora	dnf	✅
RHEL/CentOS	yum	✅
Arch Linux	pacman	✅

Usage Examples

Basic joining:

./pdf-joiner file1.pdf file2.pdf file3.pdf

Custom output filename:

./pdf-joiner -o combined_document.pdf file1.pdf file2.pdf file3.pdf

Move to system PATH (optional):

sudo mv pdf-joiner /usr/local/bin/ # Now you can run it from anywhere pdf-joiner file1.pdf file2.pdf

PDF Tools Used

The tool automatically selects the best available PDF backend:

1. pdfunite (fastest, preferred)
2. ghostscript (most compatible)
3. qpdf (alternative option)

Troubleshooting

Permission denied error:

chmod +x pdf-joiner

Tool not found after installation:

# Reinstall PDF tools manually sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install poppler-utils ghostscript # Ubuntu/Debian sudo dnf install poppler-utils ghostscript # Fedora sudo yum install poppler-utils ghostscript # RHEL/CentOS sudo pacman -S poppler ghostscript # Arch Linux

Build from Source (Optional)

git clone https://github.com/vinitkumar/pdf-joiner.git cd pdf-joiner go build -o pdf-joiner ./pdf-joiner file1.pdf file2.pdf

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GitHub Repository: vinitkumar/pdf-joiner
Latest Release: v1.2.9

The Linux support extends PDF Joiner’s reach beyond macOS, making it accessible to developers across all major platforms while maintaining the same privacy-focused, local processing approach that makes it a reliable alternative to online PDF tools.