How to Merge PDF Files Into One Document

When merging helps

• Submitting a job or visa application that asks for a single PDF.
• Combining scanned pages taken one by one with a phone.
• Putting a cover letter, resume and certificates together.
• Joining chapters of a report written by different people.

How to merge PDFs

• Open Merge PDF and add all the files you want to join.
• Use the arrows to put the files in the order you want. The order of the list is the order of the pages in the final PDF.
• Press Merge and download the combined file.
• Open it and scroll through once to check the order.

Get the order right the first time

Name your files with numbers, such as 01 cover letter and 02 resume, before you add them. It makes the order obvious and saves you from re-doing the merge. If a file has pages you do not want, use Extract Pages or Remove Pages on it first.

Keeping the result small

Merging copies pages as they are, so the combined file is about the size of all the parts together. If it is too big to email, compress it afterwards with Compress PDF.

Privacy

On MergeMintHub the merge happens inside your browser, so your documents are not uploaded to our servers. This matters when the files contain ID copies, bank statements or contracts.

Common mistakes when merging

• Adding files in the wrong order and not checking before saving.
• Merging files that contain pages you meant to leave out.
• Sending the merged file without opening it once to check it.
• Merging many large scans and then finding the result too big to email.

Merging different page sizes

PDFs can mix page sizes, such as A4 and letter, or portrait and landscape. Merging keeps every page exactly as it was, so these pages stay different sizes in the result. This is normal. If you need them all to match, make sure the original files use the same page size first.

When merging PDFs makes sense

Merging is useful whenever someone asks for one document and you have several. Typical cases are a job application that needs a CV, cover letter and certificates in one file, a visa or loan application with many supporting papers, an invoice bundle for an accountant, or a school assignment made of separate chapters.

A single file is easier to read, harder to lose and harder to receive in the wrong order. It also means the other person only has to download and store one attachment.

A simple routine for a clean result

Before merging, rename your files with numbers at the front, such as 01 Cover letter, 02 CV, 03 Certificates. Add them in that order and the final document will follow the same sequence. After merging, scroll through the whole result once and check that the pages are upright, in order, and that nothing is missing.

• Remove blank or duplicate pages before merging, not after.
• Rotate any sideways pages first so the final file reads smoothly.
• Keep the originals until the receiver has confirmed the merged file opens.

Keeping the merged file small enough

Merging adds the sizes of all files together, so five 4 MB scans become a 20 MB file. If the destination has a size limit, merge first and compress afterwards, so you only have to compress once and can choose one level for the whole document.

If the result is still too large, split it into two logical parts, for example identity documents and educational documents, and send them separately.

Frequently asked questions