Combining PDFs has to be simple and not stressful. When you are working with a lot of files, things may get tricky, but learning file organization tips can be helpful. PDF is among the most widely used file formats that we all use to store important data. 

Sometimes users need to combine their PDF files to store them in a more organized way. When building a portfolio, merging emails, or cutting file clutter, if you can’t combine PDF files, there are a few different ways you can try including free and paid ones. 

Want to Combine PDF Files?

PDFs are everywhere as it is one of the most secure file formats used today. If you are looking to combine multiple PDFs into one single document, there are three different ways to do that. If you are willing to spend some money, use Adobe Acrobat. 

If you are looking to convert PDF on Mac, use the built-in, multi-functional app – Preview. You may also use this app to remove pages from PDFs on Mac. On Windows, use Adobe Online tool to merge PDF files on your computer or other digital devices. 

Combine PDF Using Adobe Acrobat

One of the most popular ways to combine PDF files is via Adobe Acrobat. However, a monthly subscription to the software will cost you $13. Well, that’s huge. Isn’t it? Even if you have bulk files to combine, you would think twice before buying the paid subscription. 

However, if you decide to purchase the tool, here’s how you can use it to combine PDF files on your computer. 

  1. Open Acrobat and search for the Combine Files option under Tools. You can see the Combine Files Section displayed in the toolbar towards the top of the tool window. 
  1. Drag files directly into the tool or click on Add Files and navigate to the location of the PDF file.
  1. The tool will give you multiple functions that you can perform on the PDF including:
  • Rearrange Pages
  • Expand Pages
  • Collapse Pages
  • Preview Pages
  • Delete Pages
  • Sort Files
  • Move files up or down the file list 
  1. Now, click Options and pick one of the following file size options for saving the converted files.
  • Smaller file size
  • Default file size
  • Larger file size
  1. Once you select the file size, an Options dialog box will appear 

If you don’t want to spend money on professional tools, there are other free ways that you can use to combine PDFs. Regardless of the computer you are using, you can try these tips to save all your PDFs in one place.

Combine PDFs on Windows

If you are using Windows 10, the PDF file will open in the default browser of the operating system, i.e. Microsoft Edge. You can view files in Edge, but you cannot edit or combine them. Adobe Acrobat works on both Mac and Windows computers, but if you can’t combine PDF files, you can use online tools. 

For that purpose, you need to use an online PDF merge tool. 

  1. To combine files for free on Windows, open the Acrobat Online tool.
  2. Next, drag PDF files from your computer and drag them into the tool window.
  3. Once the PDF files upload to the tool, click Merge. 

Combine PDFs on Mac

Preview, a built-in app on Mac computers can help you combine editing a PDF for free. To combine two or more PDFs, follow the steps given below:

  1. Open a PDF file in Preview 
  2. Click on View and then click Thumbnails. Page thumbnails will appear in the sidebar.
  3. Now select the thumbnail of a specific page where you want to add other files. 
  4. Click Edit, select Insert, and then tap Page from File.

Note: If the Page from File option is dimmed, you cannot click it. In this case either the file you have selected is not a PDF or it’s an encrypted document. To check if the files are encrypted, check permissions by clicking on Tools. Next, click Show Inspector, and then click on the lock icon. 

  1. Click on the PDF that you wish to add and tap Open. 
  2. At last, click on File and select Export as PDF. 

Combine Part of the PDF With Another PDF

  1. In Preview, open all the PDFs that you want to combine in the Preview. 
  2. In each document, click on View, select Thumbnails, and thumbnails for all the pages will appear in the sidebar. 
  3. Press and hold down the Command key and click to select the thumbnail of pages you want to add to other PDFs. 
  4. Now, release the command key slowly.
  5. Drag the pages’ thumbnails to another document and release them all where you want them to be in the document. 

So, that’s all about the different ways to combine PDF documents . If you are not able to combine your PDFs using any of these methods, see if the document is password protected. If so, unlock the file, tweak permissions, and then try these methods to combine the files.

By Tech