How to Merge PDF Files Into One (and Get the Order Right)

Sending five separate PDFs for one report looks messy and gets confusing at the other end. Stitching them into a single file is quick, and unlike some conversions, it costs you nothing in quality.

Merging your files

1. Open the Merge PDF tool and add two or more files.
2. Arrange them in the order you want. You can add more at any point — each new file joins the list — and use the up and down arrows to reorder. They're joined top to bottom, in the order shown.
3. Download the single combined PDF.

Worth knowing: merging copies each page across exactly as it was. Nothing is re-encoded or re-compressed, so text stays selectable and images keep their original quality. A merged file is essentially the sum of its parts.

Getting the order right

Files start out in the order you add them, but you don't have to get that perfect up front — you can rearrange everything before you download:

• Add your files in any order, in one go or several — each new selection is added to the list rather than replacing it.
• Use the up and down arrows beside each file to move it, or hit Sort by Name to line them up alphabetically (name them 01-cover, 02-summary, 03-appendix and one click puts them in order).
• If you only want part of a file, split that piece out first, then add it in.
• Before you download, check that the last page of one file and the first of the next read in sequence.

If the merged file is too big to send

Because a merged PDF is the sum of everything you added, combining several image-heavy files can produce something too large for email. Compressing once at the end is tidier and more effective than shrinking each file beforehand.

Common questions

Is there a limit on how many files I can merge?

There's no fixed file-count limit. The practical ceiling is the total size once combined, which is where compression comes in if you're merging a lot of scans.

Can I mix scanned and digital PDFs?

Yes. They combine into one document regardless of how each was created. The pages simply keep whatever quality they had.