Merge PDF Files

Combine PDFs without uploading them

Merging PDFs is one of the most common office jobs: a cover letter and a CV, a signed contract and its appendices, a month of scanned receipts for an expense claim. Most online “merge PDF” sites upload your files to a server to do it. This one does not. The page loads a PDF library into your browser, and your own device copies the pages from each file into a new document. Nothing is sent anywhere, which makes it suitable for contracts, medical records, bank statements and anything else you would rather keep private.

How to merge PDF files

1. Add the files. Select them all at once from the file picker (hold Ctrl or Cmd to pick several), or drag them onto the box. You can add more later.
2. Put them in order. The list shows each file with its size. Drag a file to a new position, or use the ↑ and ↓ buttons. Sort A→Z orders by file name – handy when files are named 01-cover.pdf, 02-report.pdf and so on. ✕ removes a file.
3. Merge. Press Merge PDFs. Pages are copied in the order shown: all of file 1, then all of file 2, and so on.
4. Download. Save the merged PDF and check it before sending.

What is kept when you merge

The pages are copied as they are, not re-rendered, so:

• text remains selectable and searchable;
• images keep their original resolution – merging never reduces quality;
• page sizes and orientation are preserved, so you can combine A4 and US Letter, portrait and landscape pages;
• links within pages keep working.

Bookmarks (the outline panel in PDF readers) are not merged. If your PDF reader shows a table of contents you need, add bookmarks afterwards in a desktop PDF editor.

Tips for tidy merged PDFs

• Name files with numbers first (01, 02, 03) and use Sort A→Z – it is faster than dragging on a phone.
• Remove blank or duplicate pages after merging with Organize PDF. You can also rotate sideways scans there.
• Shrink the result if it is too big to email: Compress PDF can usually reduce scanned documents a lot.
• Add page numbers to a merged report with Add Page Numbers, so readers can refer to “page 14”.
• Need only some pages from a long document? Extract them first with Split PDF, then merge.

Our guide How to merge and reorder PDF files walks through common situations such as job applications, visa paperwork and expense claims.

Merging images and PDFs together

This tool merges PDFs only. To include photos or scans saved as JPG or PNG, first convert them with JPG to PDF, then add the resulting PDF to the merge list. iPhone photos in HEIC format can be converted with HEIC to JPG first.

Password-protected PDFs

A PDF that asks for a password when you open it is encrypted, and its pages cannot be copied until it is decrypted. Use Unlock PDF with the password you know, then merge. If you want the merged result protected again, finish with Protect PDF.

Large files and older devices

Merging uses your device’s memory. A few dozen documents with hundreds of pages are fine on most laptops and recent phones. If a browser tab runs out of memory with very large scans, merge in two or three batches, then merge the batches, or compress the large files first.

Why browser-based merging is safer

When a service uploads your PDFs, copies exist on someone else’s server for at least a while, and you have to trust their deletion policy. With in-browser merging there is no copy to delete: the files are read from your disk into the tab’s memory and the result is handed straight back to you. You can verify this in your browser’s developer tools – the Network tab shows no upload when you press Merge PDFs.