How To Merge 2 PDF Files?

Merging PDFs is a great way to create a single document from multiple sources. This saves you from having to open up two different files and copy and paste content from one document into the other, which can be frustrating.

Whether you need to combine several similar files for school or work, or a few travel itineraries into one document, merging them can save you time and reduce clutter in your documents folder.

Whatever the case may be, combining PDFs isn’t hard to do, but it’s not always obvious how. Here are some tips on how to merge 2 PDF files so that they look nice and neat when they’re finished.

How to merge two PDF files?

You can combine two or more PDF documents in a variety of ways, but here are the easiest ways:

Using Adobe Acrobat Pro
Using a free website
Using Microsoft’s PDF Merger & Splitter app
Using Google Drive’s Merge PDF add-on
Using Mac’s built-in Preview tool

In the sections below, we’ll give you a step-by-step guide to using each method. We’ll also share their pros and cons so you can make an informed decision about which approach is best for your situation.

Use Adobe Acrobat Pro

Adobe Acrobat is the gold standard when it comes to merging PDFs. Here’s how you can use it to combine two files:

Open Adobe Acrobat Pro and select the “Combine Files” option at the top of your screen.
Click on “Add Files” on the top menu bar (you may also find this option under “Advanced Editing”). This will bring up a dialogue box where you can choose which files you would like to merge into one document.
Select which PDF is the source and which is the destination. You can also select multiple files at once by holding down Ctrl while clicking on each one individually.
Once both files have opened successfully, drag and drop to reorder the pages or press “Delete” to remove the ones you don’t want.
Hit the “OK” button once you’ve set up how you want your final document organized, and wait for Adobe Acrobat to combine all of your documents into one seamless file. This may take a few minutes depending on how many pages the file has.

Pros

It’s available on Mac and Windows computers.
It preserves metadata. When you merge two PDF documents, all of the metadata from the documents remains intact. This includes page numbers, bookmarks, security settings, and digital signatures.
It’s versatile. A lot of other programs integrate with Adobe Acrobat, which means that if you’re looking for something specific, like adding text or images from another application into your combined PDF document, you can probably do that pretty easily.

Cons

It’s not free. If you want to use Adobe Acrobat for this task, you’ll have to pay a $13 monthly subscription.

Use a free website

If you don’t want to try merging PDFs yourself or don’t want to pay for an Adobe subscription, there are plenty of free or affordable options out there for you.

For example, you can use an online tool like Smallpdf or ILovePDF. Both of these websites allow you to upload your PDF files and choose where they should be merged together.

The process is simple:

Go to one of the websites above and click on the “Select PDF files” button to choose the documents from your computer.
Let the files upload. This can take a few minutes, depending on the number of files.
When you’re ready, click “Start” to open a new tab in your browser and see each file separately.
Drag and drop them into the order you want by clicking on one file and then another file. If you are satisfied with the order, click on the “Merge” button at the right bottom corner of your screen.
You will now see another window pop up telling you that the merging process has been started and you should wait until it has finished successfully (it may take some time).
Once the process is finished, save your new PDF file wherever you want!

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Pros

These sites are completely free.
You don’t need to install any software on your computer or download anything from the internet.
You will be able to merge your files in no time at all. There are no complicated steps or instructions – just choose “merge” and wait for the results!

Cons

They can be unreliable. If you’re using these services to merge important documents like tax paperwork or other sensitive information, keep in mind that the files are being passed through an ad-based third-party system, so there’s no guarantee that they won’t get exposed.
The results aren’t always perfect. If your PDFs have different formatting or contain images that don’t line up correctly when they are merged with other files, they will generally show signs of imperfection after being merged together.

Also Read: Best Adobe Acrobat Alternatives

Use Microsoft’s PDF Merger & Splitter

Another option is Microsoft’s PDF Merger & Splitter. This free app makes combining or splitting PDFs a cinch, letting you merge as many as four files into a single document, or split one into multiple documents.

Here’s how:

First, download and install the PDF Merger & Splitter app from the Microsoft Store.
Launch the app, and click the “Open File” button. This will open a new window where you can browse for your PDFs.
Select both files and hit “Merge” in the top-right corner of the window. You’ll then have your new combined document ready to go.

Now, if you want to customize your merged document a bit more for example, by reordering the pages, you’ll need to split your file before anything.

This is how to do it:

Right after opening the app, select “Split” from the drop-down menu that appears in the top-right corner of the window.
Delete any pages you don’t need from each file and save them separately with their original names (so they will stay in order), or put them all into one PDF.
When you’re ready to merge your files, go back to the main screen and follow the steps outlined above.

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Pros

It’s free.
Its Split feature is helpful for quickly merging PDF files without compromising their original formatting and layout.
It’s easy to use and has an intuitive interface that makes it simple to learn how to use in just a few minutes.

Cons

It doesn’t allow you to merge files that are larger than 1GB.
The app can only be used on Windows operating systems.
Another issue with the program is that it doesn’t support password-protected PDF files. If you have a file with a password, you won’t be able to use this software to merge or split your documents.

Also Read: Best PDF To Word Converters

Use a Google Drive add-on

If you have access to Google Drive, it’s simple to merge two or more PDF files into one document with an add-on like Merge PDF.

Just follow these steps:

Download and install the Merge PDF add-on, available on the Chrome Web Store.
Open Google Drive and select the files you want to merge.
Right-click “Open with”, and hit “Merge PDF”
It will automatically display a new window where you can use the drag-and-drop feature to arrange the pages in the order you want.
When you’re ready, click the “Merge” button. Once the files are combined, you will be asked whether you want to save the new document to your computer and/or your Google Drive.

Pros

The merge process is very fast, so you won’t have to wait a long time for the entire process to finish before you can start using your new merged file
There’s no big learning curve or time investment involved in figuring out how the program works.
It’s free of charge and doesn’t require any subscription fee or additional charges.

Check Out: Best Free Adobe Acrobat Alternatives

Cons

It may not work for all kinds of PDF files, especially those with complex formatting like scanned documents and text-heavy books.
You can only merge two files at a time.
It takes a lot of time to merge the files, especially if they are large ones.

Use Mac’s built-in Preview tool

Image by Karolina Grabowska via Pexels

If you’re a Mac user, you may already know that you can use the Preview tool to open and view PDFs on your Mac. But did you know that it can also merge PDF files?

The Preview app comes pre-installed on all Mac computers and is one of the most basic options available. It won’t give you all of the bells and whistles that other tools have, but it’s pretty straightforward:

Choose the PDF file you want to merge and open it in Preview.
Click on “View thumbnails” in the sidebar to view the thumbnails of the second PDF you want to combine.
Select it and go back to the first document.
Click “Insert Page from File” for the file where you want to insert the other document.
To save the merged document, click on “Export as PDF”.

Now, if you want just want to add some sections of a PDF to another, the process is a bit different:

Choose the PDF file you want to merge and open it in Preview.
Click on “View thumbnails” in the sidebar to view the thumbnails of the second PDF you want to combine.
To add a page from the document you’re working on to another document, press and hold Command and select the page thumbnails.
To add the selected section to the document, drag them from the original PDF file and drop them into the desired location in the second PDF.

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Pros

It’s free.
You don’t have to download any extra software. It’s all built-in on your Mac.
It will only take a few seconds for the two PDFs to be merged together into a single file.
If you have any issues while combining your documents, there’s always online support available through the app itself or on Apple’s website.

Cons

The program is not able to reorder the pages in the resulting merged PDF file. So if there are pages that need to be rearranged in your merged file, you will have to do it manually using another application such as Adobe Acrobat Pro.
You can’t merge encrypted PDF documents or password-protected files.

Final Words

Merging PDFs is a great way to keep your files organized.

If you’re working with large documents, or if your PDFs are very different in size or format, it might be better to use a program like Adobe Acrobat instead of the other methods we’ve mentioned above.

However, free services like SmallPDF are also a great option if you use this technique regularly but are on a budget.

These websites are easy to use and can help you combine your documents. Just remember that using a free service is fine for non-sensitive material, but you shouldn’t do it with sensitive data like financial records.

How To Merge 2 PDF Files?