Merging is usually the last step when you put something together. Think of a job application with a cover letter, CV and certificates, a contract with its signed appendices, or a month of scanned receipts for an expense claim. This tool keeps every page of each PDF you add and joins the files end to end, in the order shown in the file list. The finished document reads the way you arranged it.
How to use Merge PDF
- Add two or more PDF files, either by selecting them together or by dropping them onto the upload area.
- Check the file list and drag any file up or down. The list order becomes the page order.
- If a file is password protected, enter its password in the PDF password field.
- Select Merge PDFs. Every page of every file is copied into one new PDF.
- Download the result, which is named after the first file with "-merged" added.
How the order is decided
- Top to bottom: The merged document is built from the file list, top to bottom. The first file's pages come first, then every page of the second file, and so on, and pages inside each file keep their original order.
- Arrange before processing: It's worth arranging the list before processing, although Organize PDF can reorder or drop individual pages in the merged result if you spot a problem later.
- Sizes stay as they are: Page sizes and orientations aren't changed, so a landscape spreadsheet printout stays landscape between portrait letters.
What carries over, and what doesn't
- Page content is copied as it is: text stays selectable, images keep their original resolution and links on the page keep working. Nothing is re-rendered, so merging doesn't lower quality.
- What doesn't survive is structure that belongs to each source file as a whole, like its bookmark outline or its title and author fields, because the merged PDF is a new document.
- Setting properties afterwards: If you want tidy document properties afterwards, set them with View / Edit Metadata.
Keeping the merged file a sensible size
- Roughly the sum of its parts: A merged PDF is roughly the sum of its parts, so joining several scanned documents can produce a file too large for an email attachment or an upload portal. VelloDoc discards unused objects when it saves, but it doesn't recompress images during a merge.
- If the result is too big, run it through Compress PDF, or use Compress to Target Size when a form states an exact limit.
- Where to read more: The guide to reducing PDF size explains where the bytes usually go.
When people use Merge PDF
Assembling a job application
Put a cover letter, CV and scanned certificates into one PDF so the recruiter opens a single file and reads it in the order you intended.
Contracts with signed appendices
Join the main agreement with separately returned signature pages or schedules to keep one complete record for filing.
Monthly receipts for expenses
Combine individually scanned receipts into one document that an expenses system or an accountant can review page by page.
Limitations to know
Merge PDF joins whole files. It doesn't remove duplicate pages, build a combined bookmark outline or make page sizes consistent. All protected inputs must share one password, and large scanned inputs produce a large result, so plan to compress afterwards if the file has a size limit.
Merge PDF: common questions
Is there a limit on how many files I can merge?
The practical limit is the total upload size, which is 80 MB per request on a default VelloDoc server. Within that you can add as many files as you need. Each file is numbered internally when it arrives, so the order is kept even for long lists.
Can I merge only some pages from a file?
Merge PDF always includes every page of each file. To use part of a document, first make a smaller PDF with Extract Pages, or merge everything and then delete what you don't need with Remove Pages.
What happens with password-protected files?
Enter the password in the PDF password field so the files can be opened. One password is used for the whole job, so if several files use different passwords, remove the protection from each with Unlock PDF first. The merged output isn't password protected. Add protection afterwards with Protect PDF if you need it.
Will merging change the quality of scans or images?
No. Pages are copied into the new file instead of re-rendered, so images keep their resolution and text stays as text. Quality only changes if you compress the merged result afterwards.
Can I merge Word documents or images with PDFs?
This tool accepts PDF files only. Convert other files first, for example with Word to PDF or Any Image to PDF, and then merge the resulting PDFs.