How to merge PDF files into one

Merging PDFs comes up all the time: a job application that wants your CV, cover letter and certificates as a single file; a set of receipts for an expenses claim; a scanned contract that came off the scanner as twelve separate files. Whatever device you’re on, there’s a free way to do it. Here’s each one, starting with the method that works everywhere.

How to merge PDFs on any device (in your browser)

1. Open Merge PDF and drop in your PDFs, or tap to choose them. You can add more later with + Add another PDF.
2. Arrange the pages. Every page from every file appears in one grid. Drag any single page to a new position — not just whole files.
3. Tidy up. Rotate a sideways page 90° at a time, or remove a page you don’t want, such as a blank scan or an unneeded cover sheet.
4. Save your PDF. You get one file containing every page, in your order.

There’s no limit on how many files you add, no watermark and no account. Each page is copied across exactly as it is in the original, so text, images and layout come through unchanged. And because everything happens inside your browser tab, the documents never leave your device — a good reason to use it for the kind of paperwork people usually merge: contracts, statements and anything with a signature on it.

How to merge PDFs on a Mac

macOS has two built-in ways, and both are free.

From Finder (quickest)

1. Select the PDFs in Finder.
2. Control-click (or right-click) the selection.
3. Choose Quick Actions → Create PDF.

Apple says the files appear in the order you select them, and the new PDF is named after the first one. Click them one at a time, in order, rather than dragging a box around them.

With Preview (more control)

1. Open the first PDF in Preview and choose View → Thumbnails.
2. Drag another PDF from Finder into the thumbnail sidebar, or drag individual page thumbnails across from a second Preview window.
3. Drag thumbnails up and down to reorder them.

One catch: Preview saves changes to the open document automatically, so make a copy of the first file before you start if you want to keep it as it was.

How to combine PDFs on iPhone or iPad

1. Open the Files app and go to the folder with your PDFs.
2. Tap More (the circle with three dots), then Select, and tap each PDF.
3. Tap More at the bottom right and choose Create PDF.

The combined PDF appears in the same folder, and your originals are left alone. The files are combined in the order they’re listed in the folder (normally by name), so the simplest way to control the order is to rename them first — 1 CV, 2 Cover letter, 3 References. If you’d rather drag pages into place, Merge PDF works in Safari too.

How to merge PDFs on Windows

Windows doesn’t include a way to merge PDFs. Microsoft Print to PDF, the built-in “printer” that saves PDFs, handles one document at a time, so it can’t combine files. Your options are a paid PDF editor such as Adobe Acrobat, an online merging service (most of which upload your files to their servers), or a tool that runs in the browser itself, like Merge PDF.

How to merge PDFs on Android

Android doesn’t have a standard built-in merge option either, and what’s available varies by phone maker. The browser method works the same in Chrome on Android as on a computer: open the tool, tap to add your PDFs from your phone’s storage or Google Drive, arrange them, and save.

Before you merge: get the order right

The merge itself takes seconds. What makes the result look professional is five minutes of tidying first:

• Decide what goes first. Whoever opens the file sees page one. For an application that’s usually the cover letter or CV; for an expenses claim, a summary sheet.
• Number your filenames. Starting names with 01, 02, 03 keeps them in order in every file browser and every merging tool.
• Look for sideways pages. Phone scans often come out rotated. Fix them now so nobody has to turn their head.
• Drop the dead weight. Blank backs of double-sided scans, duplicate pages and fax cover sheets make the file longer and bigger.
• Check any size limit. A merged file is roughly the size of all its parts added together. If it’s going to an upload form or an email, see how to compress a PDF afterwards.

Things that can trip you up

Password-protected PDFs. A locked PDF can’t be merged until the password is removed. If you know it, Unlock PDF takes it off, then you can merge as normal.

Photos and screenshots. Merging tools combine PDFs, not images. If some of your pages are JPGs or PNGs, turn them into a PDF first with Image to PDF — our guide on converting JPG to PDF explains how — then merge that file with the rest.

Needing to undo it later. Merging isn’t a one-way street. If you need a section back out, you can split the PDF again by page range.

Common questions