Need to Combine PDFs? Here's the Fastest Way

Last week, a friend asked me to help her combine five separate invoice PDFs into one file for her accountant. "Just use Adobe," I said. Then I remembered — Adobe wants $20 a month for that.

For something most of us do maybe a few times a year, that's ridiculous.

So here's the free alternative I actually use, and what I helped my friend with.

Combining PDFs in Under a Minute

Honestly, this is embarrassingly simple:

  1. Open our PDF Merger
  2. Toss in all your PDF files (drag and drop works great)
  3. Drag them around if you need a different order
  4. Click merge
  5. Download your combined file

That's the whole process. No account creation, no credit card, no "free trial" that turns into a subscription.

Wait, Is This Actually Free?

I get why you'd be skeptical. Every "free" tool online seems to have a catch — limited uses per day, watermarks, or the classic "sign up to download."

This one's genuinely free. Unlimited uses. No watermarks. No signup. I built it because I was tired of the alternatives myself.

The Privacy Thing

Here's something worth thinking about: when you upload files to most online PDF tools, they're processed on someone's server. Your documents — potentially containing sensitive information — are sitting on a computer you don't control.

Our merger works differently. The actual combining happens right in your browser, on your own device. Your files never get uploaded anywhere.

For most casual stuff, maybe that doesn't matter. But if you're merging contracts, financial documents, or anything personal? It's worth knowing where your files actually go.

Some Tips I've Learned

After merging hundreds of PDFs (yes, really), here are a few things that save headaches:

Name your files sensibly first. Especially if you're combining many documents. "Document1.pdf" and "Document2.pdf" are going to confuse you when you're trying to put them in order.

Check your page orientation. Nothing worse than merging a bunch of PDFs only to realize one was landscape and now looks sideways. Use our Page Rotator to fix that before merging.

Consider file size. If you're combining a lot of image-heavy PDFs, the result might be huge. Run it through our PDF Compressor afterwards if you need to email it.

What If Something Goes Wrong?

Most issues I see come down to corrupted source files. If one of your PDFs won't open normally, it probably won't merge well either.

Also, password-protected PDFs won't merge without removing the protection first. You'll need to unlock the PDF (assuming you have the password or permission to do so).

Common Questions

"Can I merge Word docs and PDFs together?"

Not directly, but it's easy to work around. Convert your Word doc to PDF first using our Word to PDF converter, then merge as normal.

"Is there a limit on how many files?"

Nope. I've tested it with 50+ files. Your browser might slow down with really huge jobs, but there's no artificial limit.

"What about the file order?"

You can rearrange files however you want before merging. Just drag them into the order you need.

Why This Beats the Alternatives

Look, there are dozens of PDF mergers online. I'm not going to pretend ours is the only option.

But most of them either:

  • Want you to pay after a few uses
  • Plaster your PDF with watermarks
  • Upload your files to their servers
  • Make you create an account

If you're cool with all that, go for it. But if you just want to merge some PDFs quickly and privately, give ours a shot.

Need to do the opposite? Check out our guide on how to split PDFs into separate files.