How to merge PDF files into one

Merge PDF files on any device, in your browser

The quickest way that works everywhere is a merge tool that runs in your web browser. All PDF's Merge PDF tool does the work on your own device, so the files are not uploaded and there is nothing to install.

1. Open the Merge PDF tool on all-pdf.app.
2. Choose your PDF files, or drag them onto the box. You can add more at any point.
3. Put them in order: drag a file up or down, or use the arrow buttons beside it.
4. Select Merge PDF and wait for the bar to fill.
5. Download the combined file, then rename it to something you will recognise later.

Pages are copied exactly as they are, not re-rendered, so text stays sharp and selectable and images keep their resolution. Bookmarks from the original files are not carried over.

Merge PDFs on a Mac with Preview

Preview, the PDF viewer that comes with every Mac, can combine files without any other software.

1. Open the first PDF in Preview.
2. Choose View, then Thumbnails, to show the page sidebar.
3. Drag the other PDF files from Finder into the sidebar, dropping them where you want their pages to go.
4. Drag thumbnails to change the order of individual pages if needed.
5. Choose File, then Export as PDF, and save the combined file under a new name so the original stays as it was.

Merge PDFs on Windows

Windows 10 and 11 can open PDFs in Microsoft Edge and print to PDF, but neither can join two PDFs into one. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader cannot either: combining files is part of the paid Acrobat. On Windows, a browser-based tool is the simplest free option, and it saves you installing a third-party PDF program.

Merge PDFs on an iPhone or Android phone

On an iPhone or iPad, the Files app can make one PDF from several files. Open Files, tap Select, choose the PDFs in the order you want them, tap the More button (the three dots), then Create PDF. The new file appears in the same folder.

Android has no built-in merge feature. Open the Merge PDF tool in Chrome or any other browser, tap the box to choose files from your phone's storage or Google Drive, and download the result. It works on a phone exactly as it does on a computer.

Getting the order and the pages right

Merging works file by file, so the most common problem is a page in the wrong place inside one of the files. Fix it after merging rather than before: Organise pages lets you drag single pages into place, and Delete pages removes blank pages, duplicate cover sheets or a page you did not mean to include.

• Name files with a number first (01-cover.pdf, 02-letter.pdf) so they sort in the right order when you add them.
• If a page comes out sideways, use Rotate PDF on the merged file.
• If you only need some pages of a long file, take them out first with Split PDF, then merge the parts you want.

When a merge does not work

• A password-protected PDF cannot be merged until the password is removed. Use Unlock PDF with the password you already know, then merge the unlocked copy.
• Word documents, photos and other files are not PDFs yet. Convert them first with Any file to PDF, which can also combine them into one PDF in a single step.
• If the merged file is too large to email, run it through Compress PDF. Scanned pages and photos usually shrink a lot.
• A file that will not open anywhere is probably damaged. Try downloading it again from where it came from.