It doesn’t have to be difficult or costly to merge PDF files. I’ve really been doing it for years without ever paying a dime. Combining PDFs on Mac and Windows devices requires little work, whether I’m trying to organize project materials, make a presentation, or just clear out digital clutter.
Despite being a well-known solution, Adobe Acrobat needs a paid membership, with monthly prices starting at $13. Thankfully, I’ve looked for free substitutes that are as effective throughout the years. Regardless of the operating system I’m using, here’s how I’ve discovered to combine PDF documents without paying a single penny.
More PDF assistance needed? Check out our four free tools for improved PDF editing and our advice on how to sign PDFs with ease.
How to merge Windows PDFs
There isn’t a built-in PDF merging tool on Windows, therefore I use PDF Merger & Splitter by AnywaySoft, a free product available in the Microsoft Store.
To utilize it, follow these steps:
Open PDF Merger & Splitter after downloading it from the Microsoft Store.
Choose between splitting or merging. Select Merge if you just need to combine two documents without altering the page order. Select Split if you want to merge portions of each document.
After selecting every file you want to combine, click Add PDFs. You may preview the outcome and change the order or sort them by name.
Click Merge when you’re finished, then give your new PDF a name and save it.
I suggest utilizing the Split function first to extract certain pages or page ranges if you want greater control over which pages to include. After that, you may combine only the sections you need into a single file.
See also: How to get a free copy of Windows 11
How to merge PDF files on a Mac
If you’re using a Mac, you’re in luck since Preview, a free built-in utility in MacOS, makes PDF merging simple.
To merge two PDFs:
Launch Preview and open one of the PDFs.
Go to View > Thumbnails to display a sidebar with page thumbnails.
In order to insert the other file, select the thumbnail.
Select the second PDF and click Open after selecting Edit > Insert > Page from File.
Select File > Export as PDF to save the combined document.
To combine sections of one PDF with another PDF:
Using View > Thumbnails, enable thumbnails for both PDFs after opening them in Preview.
Hold down the Command key and click the page thumbnails you want to add to the other document.
Drag the chosen pages into the destination PDF’s thumbnail sidebar. (Drag the thumbnails straight into a thumbnail in the other PDF if you’re using MacOS Sierra or earlier.)
As necessary, reorganize, rotate, or remove pages.
Note that some secured or encrypted PDFs may not support merging. To check permissions, go to Tools > Show Inspector, then click the lock icon.