Merge PDF Files Online — Combine PDFs Free | KhanTools
PDF Merge joins two or more PDF files into a single document, in the order you choose. You need it when a form, an employer or a finance team asks for "one PDF" and you have several files.
How to merge PDF files
- Drop your PDF files onto the dashed box, or click it to open a file picker. You can select several files at once, and you can add more later by clicking the box again.
- Check the list. Each file shows its name and size. Anything that isn’t a PDF is skipped, so it won’t appear here.
- Put the files in order with the ↑ and ↓ buttons. The file at the top becomes the first pages of the new document.
- Remove a file you added by mistake with the ✕ button on its row.
- Click Merge PDFs. The button shows how many files will be joined and only works once you have at least two.
- Click Download merged.pdf to save the result.
What people use it for
Most merges are small, practical jobs. A few examples:
- Expense claims. Scan each receipt to PDF, merge them in date order, and attach one file instead of twelve.
- Job applications. Put your cover letter first and your CV second, so the recruiter reads them in the order you intended.
- Visa, rental or loan paperwork. Combine a passport scan, payslips and bank statements into the single upload many portals ask for.
- Coursework. Join a title page, the main essay and an appendix that were exported from different programs.
- Contracts. Add a signed signature page back onto the rest of an agreement.
Your files stay on your device
The merge runs in your browser using the open-source pdf-lib library. Your PDFs are read from your own disk, combined in the page, and handed back to you as a download. They aren’t uploaded to our server.
That matters for the kind of files people usually merge: bank statements, ID scans, payslips, medical letters. You don’t have to trust a stranger's server with them, and there’s nothing to delete afterwards.
Tips for a clean result
- Rename your files before adding them, for example
01-cover-letter.pdf and 02-cv.pdf. It makes the list easier to check at a glance. - Every page of every file is included. If you only need part of a document, export just those pages from your PDF reader first.
- Big scans make big merged files. If the result is too large for an email or upload form, scan at a lower resolution, or save receipt photos as compressed images with Image Compress before turning them into PDFs.
- Changed your mind after merging? Press Reset, add the files again in the new order, and merge once more. The download button always gives you the last merge you ran.
- Open
merged.pdf and scroll through it before you send it. A quick look catches a file in the wrong place.
What it doesn’t do
This tool joins whole documents. It doesn’t split files, delete or rotate single pages, or reorder pages inside one PDF. Reordering works at the file level only.
It can’t open password-protected or encrypted PDFs. If a merge doesn’t finish, a locked file is the most likely cause. Open it in your PDF reader with the password, save an unprotected copy, and try again.
Only PDF files are accepted. Images, Word documents and other formats are ignored when you add them, so convert them to PDF first.
Very large files are limited by your device's memory, because all the work happens in the browser tab.
Related tools
Need to sign the combined file? Use PDF Sign to draw your signature and place it on a page. To type a date or a note onto the merged file, use Add Text to PDF. For tidying up scanned photos of receipts first, Image Crop trims the edges and Image Compress shrinks the file size.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a limit on how many PDFs I can merge?
There’s no fixed number. You need at least two files, and the practical ceiling is your device's memory, since the merge happens in your browser.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. The files are read and combined inside your browser, and the result is saved straight to your device. They aren’t sent to our server.
Can I change the page order?
You can change the order of the files with the up and down arrows. Pages inside each file keep their original order.
Why did nothing happen when I clicked Merge?
The usual reason is a password-protected PDF in the list. Remove the protection in your PDF reader, or take that file out of the list, and merge again.
What is the merged file called?
It downloads as merged.pdf. Rename it to something clear, such as expenses-march.pdf, before you send it.
Can I add a Word file or a JPG?
Not directly. Only PDFs are accepted. Save or print the document to PDF first, then add it.
Does merging reduce quality?
No. Pages are copied across as they are, so text, images and scans look the same as in the original files.
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