Merge PDF Files

Combine two or more PDFs into a single document, in exactly the order you want. Free, no watermark — and the files never leave your device.

How to merge PDF files

1. Drop your PDF files into the box above, or tap Choose PDF files. Each file shows its page count.
2. Put the files in order with ↑ and ↓; tap × to remove one.
3. Tap Merge PDF. The combined PDF downloads straight away.

Private PDF merging

Contracts, bank statements, tax forms and medical records are exactly the kind of files you should not upload to a stranger’s server. Here the PDFs are merged by your own browser, so nothing is sent anywhere — it even works offline once the page has loaded.

What is kept

Every page is copied exactly as it is: text stays selectable and searchable, images keep their quality, and page sizes and orientation are unchanged. Bookmarks and form fields from the original files are not carried over.

Password-protected PDFs cannot be merged; remove the password in the program that created the file first.

When merging PDFs helps

Most people merge PDFs because something on the other end accepts only one file. A few situations come up again and again:

• Applications and visas — an online form has a single upload slot, but you have a passport scan, a bank letter and a photo of a certificate as separate PDFs.
• Expense claims — a month of receipts and invoices, each sent by a different shop, combined into one file for accounting.
• Contracts — the main agreement, signed signature pages and appendices that arrived in separate emails.
• Coursework and reports — a cover page made in Word, the main text exported from another program, and scanned handwritten pages.

If some of your pages are photos rather than PDFs, turn them into a PDF first with JPG to PDF or Image to PDF, then merge the results here.

Getting the page order right

The tool joins whole files: all pages of the first file, then all pages of the second, and so on, in the order shown in the list. It does not reorder, rotate or drop single pages inside a file, so plan the order at file level.

Two habits save time. Name files with a leading number (01-cover.pdf, 02-letter.pdf …) before adding them, so they are already in order when you drop them in together. And check the page count shown next to each file — if a file you expected to be one page shows twelve, you have probably picked the wrong version.

The merged file is named after the first file in the list, with “-merged” added, for example 01-cover-merged.pdf. Rename it before sending if the recipient expects a particular name.

Why some PDFs are refused

A file is rejected with “Password-protected — cannot merge” when it is encrypted. This includes PDFs that open without asking for a password but restrict printing or editing: they still carry encryption, and the pages cannot be copied into a new document.

To fix it, open the file in the program that created it, or in a reader where you know the password, and save or print it again as a new PDF without security settings. Only do this for documents you are allowed to change.

“Could not read this PDF” usually means the file is damaged or incomplete — often an email attachment or download that was cut off. Downloading it again normally solves it.

Other ways to merge PDFs

• Mac (Preview): open the first PDF, choose View › Thumbnails, drag the other PDF files from Finder into the thumbnail sidebar where they should go, then use File › Export as PDF.
• iPhone and iPad (Files app): tap Select, choose the PDFs, then tap the ••• button and Create PDF. Check the page order in the new file before sending it.
• Windows: there is no built-in way to merge existing PDFs, which is why a browser tool like this one is handy.

Frequently asked questions

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