How to Merge PDF Files into One (Free, No Upload)

Merge PDFs online in 4 steps

1. 1

   Add your PDFs

   Open Merge PDF and drop your files onto Select PDF files to merge, or click Choose files and pick several at once. Forgot one? Use the smaller Add more PDFs box below the list.

2. 2

   Put the files in order

   The list under Files, in merge order is the order of the final document. Drag a row by its grip handle, or use the up and down arrows on the right. The X button takes a file out of the list.

3. 3

   Limit pages if you need to

   Each row has a range box that reads All pages (1-N). Leave it empty to include the whole file, or type something like 1-3, 5, 8- to keep only those pages. The row then shows how many pages it will contribute.

4. 4

   Merge and download

   Click Merge N PDFs (the button counts your files). The tool needs at least two. When it finishes, click Download PDF.

Taking only some pages from each file

The range box accepts single pages, ranges and open ends: 8- means page 8 to the last page, and -3 means pages 1 to 3. The header above the list adds up the pages from every row, so you can check the total before you merge.

Pages taken from one file always keep their original order. Typing 5, 1 still gives page 1 and then page 5, and typing a page twice does not add a second copy. If you want a different order, merge first and fix it with Reorder Pages. For repeated pages, use Duplicate Pages on the result.

Need pages 1–2 and 10–12 of the same file with another document in between? Add that file twice and give each row its own range.

What carries over into the merged PDF

• Page content stays as it was. Text remains selectable and images keep their resolution, because whole pages are copied rather than re-rendered.
• Each page keeps its own size and orientation. Merging an A4 report with a Letter-size form gives a file with both sizes. To make them match, run Change Page Size or Convert to A4 afterward.
• Links drawn on a page travel with that page.
• Bookmarks are not copied. The merged file is a new document built from the pages, so the sidebar outline starts empty. Rebuild it with Edit Bookmarks or Table of Contents.
• Title and author are not copied from the source files. Set them with Edit PDF Metadata.
• Fillable forms do not stay fillable. The new file has no form structure of its own. Fill the form and run Flatten PDF Form on it before merging.

Why a PDF won't merge, and how to fix it

• "… is password-protected." The tool can't read locked files. Unlock it with Remove PDF Password, then add it again.
• "The limit is 40 MB". Each file can be up to 40 MB so your browser doesn't run out of memory. Shrink a bigger file with Compress PDF first.
• "… isn't a PDF." Only PDFs are accepted. Turn photos or scans into a PDF with Images to PDF, then merge.
• "Fix the highlighted page ranges." One of the range boxes has a page number the file doesn't have. The red message under that row names the bad part.
• The merged file is too big to email. Run it through Compress PDF, or use Compress PDF to 1 MB if you have a hard limit.

Combine PDFs on a Mac with Preview

Open the first PDF in Preview and choose View > Thumbnails. Drag the next PDF from Finder onto the thumbnail sidebar, dropping it where its pages should go. Then use File > Export as PDF to save the combined file under a new name. This works well for two or three files. For page ranges from each file, or many files at once, the Merge PDF tool is quicker.

Frequently asked questions