Merge PDF files and images into one PDF

What this tool does

The tool copies all pages of the selected PDF files into one new file, in the order of the list. Pages are copied as they are: text stays text, and pictures are not compressed again.

JPG, PNG and WebP pictures can be placed between the PDF files. Each picture becomes one page, stored in its original quality, as the JPG to PDF tool does it.

Only pages are copied. Bookmarks of the original files are not part of the result, and fillable form fields may stop working. Open the result and check it before you delete an original.

How to use it

1. Choose two or more files, PDF files or pictures, or drop them on the marked area. You can add more files afterwards.
2. Wait until each file shows its number of pages; a picture counts as one page. A file that cannot be read is marked with the reason.
3. Put the files in order with the arrow buttons of each row.
4. If there are pictures, choose their page size: A4, US Letter or the size of the picture itself.
5. Start, then download the merged file.

The result is named after the first file of the list, with -merged added.

How the result is produced

Every file is read completely into the memory of your browser and checked. Then a new, empty document is created, and the pages of each file are copied into it one file after the other. The same file may be selected more than once; its pages then appear more than once.

The size of the result is usually close to the sum of the sizes of the originals, because content is copied and not compressed again.

A picture becomes a page of the chosen size without a margin. A picture larger than the page is scaled down to fit and centred; a smaller one keeps its size at 96 pixels per inch, so it is not blown up. The page is turned to landscape when the picture is wider than tall. A JPG is stored as it is, with its camera data removed and its orientation applied; a PNG is stored without loss; a WebP is converted to PNG pixels first.

A PDF file of up to 100 MB can be read, a picture of up to 50 MB. All files together may have up to 200 MB and 2,000 pages.

Worked example

An application consists of a cover letter with 2 pages, a CV with 3 pages and a certificate with 1 page. With the files in this order, the result has 2 + 3 + 1 = 6 pages: pages 1 and 2 are the letter, pages 3 to 5 the CV and page 6 the certificate.

If the certificate should come directly after the letter, move it up one position. The result then has the certificate as page 3 and the CV as pages 4 to 6.

In a test in Chrome, a PDF of 310 pages (2,896,912 bytes) was merged with two phone photos: a portrait photo of 1668 × 2500 pixels (1,268,382 bytes) and a landscape photo of 4288 × 2848 pixels (1,896,240 bytes), with A4 as the page size. The result had 312 pages and 5,820,028 bytes: the PDF pages kept their US Letter size, the portrait photo got a portrait A4 page and the landscape photo a landscape A4 page. It took about a third of a second.

Common mistakes

• Selecting the files in the file dialog and assuming that order. The list shows the order that is used; check it before you start.
• Merging a password-protected file. It is refused. Save a copy without protection first.
• Merging a form that still has to be filled in. Fill it in and save it first, or check that the fields still work in the result.
• Merging scans with very large pictures on a phone. If the browser runs out of memory, it may stop the page. Use fewer files per run or a computer.
• Adding a transparent PNG and expecting a white page. The transparent areas stay transparent in the PDF and show whatever the reader draws behind the page, usually white.