Combining PDFs is a feature of Adobe Acrobat Pro, which is a paid subscription. The free Acrobat Reader can open and sign PDFs but cannot merge them, which surprises many people the first time they need to send three documents as one.
You do not need Acrobat for this. A browser tool can merge PDFs on any computer or phone, and Macs have a built-in option. This guide covers both, plus the small details that make the result tidy.
Step by step: merge in your browser
Open Merge PDF
Go to Merge PDF and drop in two or more files, up to 20 at a time and 100 MB each.
Put them in order
Use the up and down arrows next to each file. The final document follows this order from top to bottom.
Merge and download
You get one PDF with every page of every file. The files are combined on your device, so nothing is uploaded.
Works on Windows, Mac and phones
Because the merging happens inside the browser, the same steps work in Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox on Windows, macOS, Linux, iPhone and Android, without installing anything. On a phone, pick the files from your Files app or downloads when the upload dialog opens.
The built-in option on a Mac
Preview can merge PDFs too. Open the first PDF, show the sidebar with View, then Thumbnails, and drag the other PDF files into the sidebar where you want their pages to go. Then choose File, then Export as PDF to save a new combined copy. Windows has no equivalent built in: printing to Microsoft Print to PDF saves one document at a time.
Tidy the result
A few extra steps make a merged document easier to read and send:
- Remove pages you do not need, such as blank backs of scanned sheets, with Split PDF before or after merging.
- Fix sideways pages with Rotate PDF so the combined file reads cleanly; see how to rotate a PDF permanently.
- If the combined file is too large to email, run it through Compress PDF. The email size guide explains which setting to choose.
Merging only some pages
Merge PDF combines whole files. If you only want certain pages from each one, extract those pages first with Split PDF, then merge the smaller files. The result is shorter, easier to read and smaller, which matters when there is an upload or attachment limit. The page extraction guide walks through picking pages.
When the pieces are photos or scans saved as images rather than PDFs, you can skip the merge step: JPG to PDF combines several images into one PDF in the order you choose. The guide to turning photos of documents into one PDF covers that route.
What a merge keeps
Merging copies pages as they are: text stays selectable, images keep their quality and page sizes stay the same, so an A4 file and a Letter file merge without being resized. Bookmarks and form fields belong to each original document and may not carry over, so fill in any forms before merging.
Frequently asked questions
Is merging PDFs free?
Yes. There is no account, no watermark and no daily limit.
Are my files uploaded?
No. Merge PDF runs in your browser and your files stay on your device.
Can I merge password-protected PDFs?
Remove the password first with Unlock PDF, if you know it, then merge the unlocked copies.
How many files can I merge at once?
Up to 20 files per merge. To combine more, merge them in batches and then merge the results together.
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