HandyjarFind a tool

PDF tools

PDF merge: combine PDF files into one document

This PDF merge tool joins two or more PDF files into one file named merged.pdf. It copies every page of every file, and the files follow the order you set in the list. The merge runs in your browser. It is free and needs no account.

Choose and order documents

Choose or drop two or more PDFs. No fixed file, size or page limit; very large merges depend on your browser's memory.

    Merge and download

    Keep this tab open until the merge finishes.

    Choose at least two PDFs to begin.

    How to combine PDF files in order

    Add at least two PDFs and set the document order with Up and Down. Then press Merge PDFs and Download merged PDF.

    1. Press Choose PDFs and select your files, or drag and drop them on the file box. The control then reads Add more PDFs.
    2. Check the list. Each row shows the file name and its size.
    3. Use Up and Down to move a whole document. Remove takes one row out, and Clear list empties the list.
    4. Press Merge PDFs. The button stays off until the list holds two files. The status line counts up in percent, and Cancel stops the run and keeps your list as it was.
    5. Press Download merged PDF to save merged.pdf.

    After the merge, each merged row shows its page count. A summary line gives the total pages, the number of documents and the size of the new file. If you change the list after a merge, the tool drops that result, and you press Merge PDFs again.

    What the merged PDF keeps and removes

    The merge copies each page's existing content without redrawing it, so text stays text. Pages keep their size, rotation and crop area. Web links and links within the same document still work.

    The tool flattens every form field, filled or blank, by drawing it into its page. The merged PDF has no fillable fields. Two files that use the same field name keep their own values, for example two copies of one form filled in for different people.

    The tool removes bookmarks, attachments, document actions, accessibility tags and links that run a script or open another file. Digital signatures stop being valid.

    The tool does not copy layer settings, print color profiles, the title, author, dates or XMP metadata. A layered or print-ready PDF can look different, and a PDF/A file is no longer PDF/A. The output holds none of your file names. The tool does not remove personal details from the page content.

    How the merge handles your files

    You can merge PDF files locally with this page. The tool reads your files and builds merged.pdf inside your browser tab, and it sends no file to a server. A browser test in Google Chrome watches every request during a merge and fails if the page contacts another site or sends any request other than a GET, such as an upload. That test passes.

    A file that cannot be read does not stop the others. The tool marks each file it refuses on its row, with the reason, and merges the rest. For example, a list of a 3-page PDF, a 1-page PDF, an empty file and the 3-page PDF again gives the status Merged 3 of 4 documents and the summary 7 pages from 3 documents. When fewer than two files can be read, the tool merges nothing and says why.

    Files the tool refuses

    This PDF combiner reads PDF files only. It checks what each file contains, so it refuses an image or Microsoft Word file renamed to .pdf. It also refuses an empty file.

    The tool refuses every encrypted PDF. This includes a PDF that opens without a password but restricts printing, copying or editing, and its row still says Password-protected. Save an unprotected copy first.

    It marks a file as damaged when the file is incomplete or needs repair, for example when the end-of-file marker is not within its last 1,024 bytes. Such a file may still open in a PDF viewer that repairs it. Save a new copy from the viewer and add that copy.

    It also refuses a PDF whose form it cannot flatten. This covers every form that carries XFA data and some PDFs with a signature field. The row then reads Not a PDF, or its form could not be flattened.

    Limits

    Each document goes in whole, with its pages in their original order. The tool cannot pick single pages, move one page between documents or put several pages on one sheet. It cannot keep a form fillable either, so do not merge a blank form that you still need to fill in.

    It does not run OCR, so scans stay image-only. It has no compression setting and does not shrink images, so the merged file can be larger than the files combined. The summary says so when the merged file is larger than all the listed files together.

    There is no fixed limit on files, size or pages. A test merges 60 files with 1,200 pages in order. Everything stays in your browser's memory, so a very large merge can run out of memory. Your list stays, and you can merge in smaller groups.

    Questions

    How can I merge multiple PDF files into one PDF file?

    Press Choose PDFs and select all your files. To change their order, press Up or Down on a row. Then press Merge PDFs, followed by Download merged PDF. The result is one file, merged.pdf, with every page of each document in the order of the list.

    How do I add a PDF file to another PDF file?

    Put both files in the list and use Up and Down to place the new file before or after the other one. The tool adds whole documents only. To put pages in the middle of a document, split that document first, then merge the parts in the order you want.

    Is merge PDF free?

    Yes. This PDF merger lets you merge PDF files online free of charge, with no payment step and no account. It adds no watermark. Its code has no step that draws a mark or logo, and a test compares the text on all 9 pages of a merged file with the source files and finds no added text.

    Is merging PDFs safe?

    With this tool, your PDFs stay on your device. The page reads and merges them in your browser tab and sends no file to a server. The merge also removes links that run a script or open another file, and it drops document actions. Check the result before you share it.

    How do I combine PDF files without Adobe Acrobat?

    Open this page in a web browser, choose your PDFs, set the order and press Merge PDFs. You can combine PDF files free this way, without Adobe Acrobat, another installed app or an account. The browser must run JavaScript and Web Workers. Without them, the page shows a message and keeps the controls turned off.

    Can I combine scanned PDFs into one PDF?

    Yes. Add the scanned PDFs to the list, set the order and press Merge PDFs. The tool does not run OCR, so a scanned page with no searchable text still has none after the merge. If your scanner saved JPG or PNG files, turn them into a PDF with the Images to PDF tool first.