Ledge

How to get documents ready for a loan or rental application on a Mac

· 7 min read

Make one folder for the application, pull every document into it from Downloads, Mail and your scans, and give each file a plain, numbered name. Combine multi-page items into single PDFs, check the sizes against the upload limit, and send everything from that one folder. Finder, Preview and an iPhone for scanning cover every step; nothing extra is needed.

Start with one folder that doubles as the checklist

Lenders and landlords usually send a list of what they want: proof of identity, recent pay stubs, bank statements, a tax return, perhaps a reference letter. Turn that list into a folder before you collect anything.

  1. In Finder, open Documents and choose File > New Folder (Shift-Command-N). Name it for the application, such as Apartment application October 2026.
  2. Decide on file names that follow the list, numbered in the same order: 01 Photo ID, 02 Pay stub August, 03 Pay stub September, 04 Bank statements, and so on.
  3. Drag the folder into the Favorites section of the Finder sidebar for as long as the application runs. It then appears in every Finder window and in the sidebar of every upload dialog.

With numbered names, the folder becomes the checklist. A missing number is a missing document, and the files sort in the order the reader expects.

Pull in what you already have

Most of the paperwork is probably on your Mac already, just scattered.

  • Downloads. Statements and pay stubs downloaded from websites usually land here, often with names made of digits. Select one and press the Space bar to see what it is in Quick Look before you move it.
  • Mail. Letters and statements that arrived as attachments can be dragged from the message straight into the folder. How to move a file from email to a project folder covers the details.
  • Everywhere else. In a Finder window, press Command-F and type the name of the bank or the employer to find older copies in Documents or on the desktop.

Dragging a file from Downloads into a folder on the same disk moves it. Hold Option as you let go if you would rather leave the original where it was and put a copy in the folder.

When the files are spread across Mail, Downloads and the desktop, Ledge saves the back and forth. Drag each one up to the notch as you find it; it lands on a shelf that drops from the notch and stays there. When you have the lot, open the shelf with Option-Space or a click on the notch, and drag them into the application folder in a Finder window. A Finder window receives the file itself, so they move into the folder rather than leaving another copy behind. Ledge has no account and no cloud, so pay stubs and ID scans gathered this way never leave your Mac.

Scan the paper documents with your iPhone

For anything that only exists on paper, such as an ID card or a signed letter, the quickest scanner is usually your iPhone, and the scan can land straight in the folder.

  1. Open the application folder in a Finder window.
  2. Control-click an empty spot in the window and choose Import from iPhone > Scan Documents. The camera opens on your iPhone.
  3. Lay the page flat in good light. The iPhone finds the edges and captures it. Add more pages if needed, then tap Save.
  4. The scan appears in the folder as a PDF. Rename it to match your list right away.

The iPhone needs to be nearby and signed in to the same Apple Account as the Mac. How to scan a document with an iPhone into a folder on a Mac covers what to do when the menu item does not appear.

For a two-sided card, scan the front and the back as two pages of the same scan, so they stay together in one file.

Combine and shrink the PDFs

Some portals want one file per requirement, such as three months of bank statements as a single PDF rather than three. To combine PDFs:

  1. In Finder, select the first PDF and press Command-D to duplicate it. Work on the duplicate, so the original statement is left as it was.
  2. Open the duplicate in Preview and choose View > Thumbnails to show the page sidebar.
  3. Drag the other PDFs from Finder into the sidebar, dropping each one where it belongs in the order.
  4. Check the order and drag thumbnails up or down to fix it. Preview saves the changes as you go.
  5. Rename the file to match your list, such as 04 Bank statements.

If your documents are photos rather than PDFs, select the images in Finder, Control-click and choose Quick Actions > Create PDF to make one PDF from all of them. How to combine images into one PDF on a Mac has the details.

Upload portals usually set a maximum file size, and scans can be larger than you expect. Select a file and press Command-I to see its size. To shrink a PDF that is over the limit, open it in Preview, choose File > Export, set Quartz Filter to Reduce File Size and save it under a new name. That filter can be heavy-handed, so zoom in on the result and make sure every figure is still readable. If it is not, splitting a long document into two files beats sending one that nobody can read.

Check the set, then send it

Before anything goes out, look through the whole folder once. Select everything, press the Space bar, and step through with the arrow keys. Look for pages that are missing, upside down, or showing something you did not mean to share. If a page is sideways, the rotate button in Quick Look fixes it.

Then send from the folder:

  • An upload portal. Click the portal’s upload button and choose the application folder from the sidebar of the dialog, or drag files from the folder onto the page. Getting a file into a web upload field fast has more ways in.
  • Email. If they ask for email, attach the numbered files in order so the reader sees them as listed. A large set may need splitting across two messages.

These documents carry personal details, so when both are offered, prefer the lender’s or agent’s own portal over email, and double-check any email address before you send an ID scan to it.

Afterwards, clear the stray copies out of Downloads and keep the folder. The next application will ask for most of the same things, and you will only need to swap in the newest statements.

Questions

Should I send bank statements as screenshots?

It is better to send the PDF statement your bank lets you download. It keeps the text sharp and shows the bank’s own layout, while a screenshot can crop out details the reader needs.

What if the portal accepts only one file?

Combine everything into a single PDF in the order of the checklist, using the Preview steps above, then check that the result is under the size limit.

Can I scan without an iPhone?

Yes, if you have a scanner or a printer with a scanner. In Preview, choose File > Import from and pick your scanner from the list.