How to merge PDF files and get the pages in the right order

A job application that wants "one PDF" with your cover letter, CV and certificates. An expense report with a dozen receipts. A contract and its five appendices. Merging PDFs is one of the most common document tasks, and the only tricky part is ending up with the pages in the right order and nothing extra. Here's how to do it cleanly.

Merge PDFCombine up to 20 PDFs into one, in the order you choose.

Step by step: merge PDF files

1. Open Merge PDF and add your files. You can drop them all at once or add them one by one, up to 20 PDFs.
2. Set the order. Drag the files into place, or use the up and down arrows next to each file (handy on a phone or with a keyboard). The first file in the list becomes the first pages of the merged PDF.
3. Merge, then download the combined PDF.
4. Open it and flip through it before you send it: check that the first page is the one you expect and that nothing is missing.

Where are my files processed?

For smaller files, merging happens in your browser: the PDFs are combined on your own device and never uploaded. You'll see a note saying the files were processed in your browser.

Very large files, and PDFs the browser can't edit (damaged files, or files that open freely but restrict editing), are processed on PDFVelora's servers instead and deleted automatically afterwards. The page tells you which of the two is happening before you start. A PDF that needs a password just to open has to be unlocked first with Unlock PDF, using its password.

Getting the order right, every time

The most common merge mistakes are a document in the wrong place and a page that shouldn't be there at all. A few habits help:

• Name files with a number first before you add them, like 01 Cover letter.pdf, 02 CV.pdf, 03 Diploma.pdf. They'll be easy to put in order, and you'll spot a missing one.
• Decide what goes first. Usually it's the document the reader needs first: a cover letter, a summary or the signed contract, followed by supporting documents.
• Remove what you don't need before merging. If a scanned certificate has a blank back page, remove it first with Delete pages, or keep only the page you need with Extract pages.
• Fix sideways pages. A landscape receipt scanned the wrong way round looks careless. Turn it with Rotate PDF.

Fixing the order after merging

Already merged and noticed a page out of place? No need to start over:

• Reorder pages shows every page as a thumbnail: drag pages into a new order and download the result.
• Delete pages removes the pages you select.
• Insert pages adds pages from another PDF, or blank pages, at a specific position. It's useful when you forgot one document and it belongs in the middle.

Merging other kinds of files

Merge PDF combines PDFs. If some of your documents aren't PDFs yet, convert them first:

• Word documents: Word to PDF
• Photos and scans (JPG, PNG, HEIC…): Image to PDF, which can also put several pictures into a single PDF
• Spreadsheets: Excel to PDF

Then merge the resulting PDFs together.

The merged file is too big to send

Combining many scans adds up quickly. If the merged PDF is over an email or upload limit, run it through Compress PDF. The "Recommended" level usually shrinks scanned documents a lot while keeping them readable. We cover the options in How to reduce PDF file size.

The opposite: splitting a PDF

Sometimes you have one big PDF and need to send only part of it, such as a single chapter, one invoice from a batch, or the signed pages. Split PDF cuts a document into several files, and Extract pages creates a new PDF from the pages you pick.