How to Merge PDF Files for Free, Step by Step
To merge PDF files for free, upload them to the same folder in myoffice, open PDF Tools, choose Merge PDFs, tick the files in the order you want, name the output and start the job. The combined PDF appears in the folder when the job finishes. You need a free account, but no software install and no credit card.
The same toolkit also splits, reorders, rotates, crops, watermarks and numbers pages, and it turns images into a PDF. This guide walks through each, with the page-range syntax you need.
How do I merge PDF files into one?
- Sign in (or create a free account) and open the folder where your PDFs will live.
- Upload the PDFs into that folder. Each file can be up to 50 MB.
- Open the PDF Tools menu in the toolbar and choose Merge PDFs.
- Tick at least two PDFs. The order in which you tick them is the order they will appear in the merged file.
- Use the up and down arrows to adjust the order if needed.
- Type an output name and start the merge.
Merging runs as a background job, and you can watch it in the job queue. When it finishes, the new PDF is in your folder and the originals are untouched.
The merge dialog lists PDFs from the current folder, so put everything you want to combine in one place first.
How do I split a PDF into separate files?
Open the file's menu and choose PDF Tools…, then Split. Enter one page range per line, and each range becomes its own PDF:
1-2
3-5
That produces one PDF containing pages 1 to 2 and another containing pages 3 to 5. Page numbers start at 1, ranges are inclusive, and pages outside the document are ignored.
How do I remove, extract or reorder pages?
All three live under the same PDF Tools… menu on a PDF:
- Remove pages deletes the pages you list, for example
1-2,4. - Extract pages pulls the pages you list into a new PDF and leaves the original alone.
- Organize / reorder changes the page order. Enter the new order, for example
3,1,2to put the third page first.
The range syntax is the same everywhere: numbers separated by commas, with a hyphen for a run of pages. 1-3,5,7-9 means pages 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 9.
What else can I do to a PDF?
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Rotate | Turns pages by 90, 180 or 270 degrees. Useful for pages that were scanned sideways. |
| Crop | Trims margins from each page. |
| Add page numbers | Stamps numbers at the bottom of each page. |
| Add watermark | Stamps diagonal text, such as CONFIDENTIAL, across every page. |
| Compress | Re-saves the PDF with more efficient internal compression. See the note below. |
| Repair | Re-saves a damaged PDF to fix broken internal structure, which helps with files that will not open. |
| Convert to JPG | Exports one JPG image per page. |
| Protect / Unlock | Adds or removes a password. See how to password-protect a PDF. |
A note on compression. Compress is lossless: it does not reduce image quality. That means it works well on PDFs that were saved inefficiently, but it will not dramatically shrink a PDF made of high-resolution scans. If a scan is too big, re-scan at a lower resolution or convert the pages to JPG and rebuild the PDF.
How do I turn images into a PDF?
Choose Images to PDF from the same toolbar menu, select your images in order, and it builds a single PDF. JPG, PNG, BMP, TIFF and WebP images are supported. This is the quickest way to send a set of photographed pages as one file. If you need the text inside those images to be selectable, use OCR to make a searchable PDF instead.
Tips for cleaner merged PDFs
- Name files so they sort logically (
01-cover.pdf,02-report.pdf) before you start, so the merge order is easy to check. - Rotate first, merge second. Fix sideways pages before combining, so you only do it once.
- Add page numbers last. Numbering after the merge and after any page removal keeps the sequence correct.
- Check the result. Open the merged PDF and scroll through it once before you send it.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a limit to how many PDFs I can merge?
Each uploaded file can be up to 50 MB, and everything counts against your storage quota (a reminder at 100 MB, blocked saves at 250 MB on the free plan). Merge as many PDFs as fit within those limits.
Does merging change my original files?
No. Merge, extract and split all create new files and leave your originals as they are.
Can I merge a password-protected PDF?
Unlock it first with the password, using Unlock (remove password), then merge. Add a password again to the merged file if you need one.
Do I need an account?
Yes, a free one. The tools work on files in your storage, so you upload first. It takes a few seconds and no card is needed.
Try it
Create a free account, drop two PDFs into a folder and merge them. If you also work with Word or Excel files, see how to edit them in your browser.