{"id":3162,"date":"2026-01-27T19:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T19:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pdf.live\/resources\/?p=3162"},"modified":"2026-02-07T01:51:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T01:51:18","slug":"how-to-merge-pdfs-into-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pdf.live\/resources\/working-with-pdfs\/how-to-merge-pdfs-into-one\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Combine PDF Files: Split and Merge PDFs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How to Combine & Separate PDFs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We created this tutorial to help people who are searching for ways to connect multiple PDFs. When we gathered all the search terms, we couldn\u2019t believe how many ways people ask, \u201cHow do you merge multiple PDFs into one?\u201d We aim to answer 10 versions of the same question, How to \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. attach<\/strong> PDF files to each other<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. connect<\/strong> PDFs<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. consolidate<\/strong> PDFs<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. convert multiple files<\/strong> to a PDF format<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. create one<\/strong> PDF from multiple files<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. join<\/strong> PDFs<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. make a single PDF<\/strong> file from multiple files<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. put multiple files into one<\/strong> PDF<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. save several<\/strong> PDFs into one<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. turn multiple<\/strong> PDFs into one<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    So, if you asked any of those 10 or one of the many other synonyms (oh, the English language\u2026), you\u2019ll find answers here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    PDFs are pretty easy to create and are meant to be shared across the web. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You will need to turn all of your other files into PDFs before you can add a PDF to another PDF. In the PDF.Live convert PDF page<\/a>, you\u2019ll see some popular file formats that you can convert to PDFs. For example, you can convert DOC, XLS, and PPT files to PDF documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You cannot create one PDF from multiple files that are not PDFs. All of your files need to be PDFs before you can combine them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Is There an App to Combine PDF Files?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Yes, there\u2019s an app that easily allows you to put multiple PDFs into a single file. The PDF.Live merge tool<\/a> is a web-based app that allows you to make a single PDF file by uploading multiple PDF files to the tool and combining them. PDF.Live\u2019s tool is entirely online, which means no additional software or downloads are required to turn multiple PDFs into one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Wondering how to join PDFs on Mac?<\/strong> This tool works on Mac! Any Apple laptop or desktop with a modern web browser can use it. If you need to compile PDFs offline, Apple\u2019s built-in Preview app works too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How to connect PDFs on Windows?<\/strong> PDF.Live is also a great option for Windows<\/a> users. Unlike Apple computers, many Windows PCs do not come with a PDF reader installed. We offer a limited number of tasks for free; super-users can subscribe for a low monthly fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How to Group Multiple PDFs with PDF.Live<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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    1. Head to PDF.Live\u2019s PDF Merge tool<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Click Select File to Merge<\/strong>. Or Drag and Drop<\/strong> your PDF into the tool.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      \"Click<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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      1. Once your first PDF is uploaded, you\u2019ll see the option to upload a second PDF.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        \"Once<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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        1. Click Merge PDF<\/strong> to join all of your PDFs into a single document.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          \"Click<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

          After you select Merge PDF, you’ll see the action icons that read Document Merging in Progress<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          1. After a few seconds, your joined file will be available to download via the Download<\/strong> button.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
            \"After<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            When your connected PDFs are ready, you’ll see a message that says so. Click the download button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Need to reorder the pages of the multiple PDFs you\u2019ve turned into one? Select Edit PDF and follow the prompts to upload your newly connected PDF to change the page order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Misc FAQs About Combining PDFs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

            Can I combine multiple PDFs into one?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

            Adding two or more PDFs together is simple using PDF.Live. This tool allows you to add as many PDFs as you want to create a single document. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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            1. Upload your 1st PDF.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            2. When prompted, upload your 2nd, 3rd, etc., PDF.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            3. When all are uploaded, select merge.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            4. Wait patiently; it takes only a few seconds, but larger files take longer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            5. Download!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

              Can you combine PDFs of different sizes?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

              Yes, multiple PDFs of different sizes can be combined into a single PDF file. A PDF file can have landscape and portrait pages, as well as 8.5 x 11 standard paper size mixed with other custom sizes. You may run into issues when you print a PDF with varying page dimensions. If you\u2019re set up to print to 8.5 x 11 paper, for example, all PDF pages default to be scaled to fit the 8.5 x 11 dimensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Is PDF.Live software that must be downloaded and installed?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

              No, PDF.Live is an online, web-based service that doesn\u2019t require bulky software downloads to function. Simply head over to PDF.Live<\/a> to view the merge PDF and many other tools for working with PDFs. We ask only for your name and email address to create an account, so we can ensure our users are real people; we don\u2019t sell your information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Can you explain how to consolidate PDFs and other files into a single file?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

              If you don’t want to merge PDFs, but you want to put all of your files in a single compressed folder for sharing, consider the benefits of a ZIP file<\/a>. Zipping allows you to \u201csmoosh\u201d multiple file types together into a single format (.zip) for easy sharing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Otherwise, you can use PDF.Live\u2019s PDF joining tool to combine multiple PDFs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              How do you unmerge PDF files?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

              When you unmerge a PDF, you split that one PDF into multiple components. Think of it as packing a moving truck full of furniture, clothes, and other belongings. All that stuff is stored in a single space so it can be easily transported. Then, when it arrives at its destination, you \u201cunmerge\u201d that truck as you unpack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              There are three methods we\u2019re going to cover for unmerging a PDF online: delete pages, using PDF.Live, and using a PDF reader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Method 1: Unmerge PDF by Deleting Pages<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

              One of the simplest ways to separate a PDF is to create copies of the original and delete pages from the new one. To illustrate, let\u2019s say we have a 60-page PDF called kayaking.pdf that we want to break into two, smaller PDFs, one with 15 pages and one with 45 pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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              1. Make a copy of the original file, kayaking.pdf, by right-clicking and selecting Duplicate<\/strong>, if you\u2019re on an Apple, or Copy,<\/strong> or Open as copy<\/strong> if you\u2019re on a Windows PC.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              2. Name the new file. For our example, we\u2019ll name it kayaking-15-page.pdf.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              3. Rename the original file. For our example, we\u2019ll rename kayaking.pdf to kayaking-45-page.pdf.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              4. Open the 15-page PDF in any reader or using PDF.Live\u2019s editing tool. Delete the 45 pages that you don\u2019t want.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              5. Do the same for the 45-page PDF; delete the 15 pages you don\u2019t want.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                For more tips on deleting pages from a PDF<\/a>, read our related post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Method 2: Split a PDF using PDF.Live<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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                1. Upload your PDF to the PDF.Live editor. Select Edit PDF<\/strong>. \"\"
                  Click and drag your PDF to the PDF Live online editor to unmerge pages from the PDF.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                2. On the left-hand side of PDF.Live, click <\/strong>the Manage Pages <\/strong>button.
                  \"\"<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                  This allows you to view and manage the individual pages of your PDF. You can change the order that the pages of your PDF are in if you want to unmerge specific sections of your PDF, or even delete pages if you want to get rid of them entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  \"This<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
                    \n
                  1. Click Extract Page<\/strong> and then click the pages that you\u2019d like to unmerge from your document. Once you\u2019ve selected them you can then click Extract <\/strong>to download a PDF with just those pages in it. \"\"<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  2. Then, click the Extract Page<\/strong> again to return to managing the pages. Then, click the pages you want removed from your current PDF and click Delete Page<\/strong>. Once you\u2019ve deleted all the pages you want removed, click Confirm<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                    \"Then,<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

                    Method 3: Unmerge a PDF Using Your Web Browser or PDF Reader<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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                    1. Open your PDF using a web browser or PDF reader.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    2. Select Print<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                      \"Open<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

                      When selecting print, a dialogue box will open up with a few print settings. Although you could use this to print a physical version of your document, we\u2019ll be using it to download a new version of your PDF. Therefore, select Microsoft Print to PDF<\/strong> or otherwise Print as PDF<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      3. In the Pages<\/strong> area, select Custom<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      Here, you\u2019ll designate a page range that you\u2019re going to print your new PDF as. Remember \u2014 we aren\u2019t printing a physical version of the PDF, but rather downloading a new version of the PDF on our computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      If you combine two PDFs into one and know that pages 1-3 are PDF #1 and pages 4-6 are PDF #2, you can print two separate documents with page ranges 1-3 and 4-6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      While this method is effective and free, it is a bit tedious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      Try Our PDF Merger for Free<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                      If you\u2019re interested in easy combining and editing of PDFs using a web browser, consider trying out PDF.Live today for free. PDF.Live allows limited free daily transactions of PDF management services. We have PDF converters, a PDF editor, and even online PDF fax services<\/a>, so you can skip the fax machine!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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