How to Combine PDF Files in Windows 11

Windows 11 doesn’t have a built-in way to merge PDF files, but you can combine them for free in a couple of minutes. For a quick job, use Adobe’s free online Merge PDF tool: upload the files, drag them into order, and select Merge. For private documents or regular use, install the free PDFsam Basic app, which combines PDFs on your PC without uploading anything. If you have Adobe Acrobat Pro, use Combine Files.

Applies to: Windows 11 Home and Pro. The same methods work in Windows 10.

Which method should you use?

• A few non-sensitive files, right now: Adobe’s online Merge PDF tool. Nothing to install.
• Tax forms, contracts, medical records or anything private: PDFsam Basic. The files never leave your PC.
• Large or frequent jobs, or you need to edit pages: Adobe Acrobat Pro, if you already pay for it.
• Photos or scans (JPG or PNG), not PDFs: Microsoft Print to PDF, which is built into Windows.

Combine PDFs online with Adobe Merge PDF

1. Open Adobe’s Merge PDF page in Microsoft Edge or any browser.
2. Select Select files, or drag your PDFs onto the page. Hold Ctrl to select several files at once in the file picker.
3. Drag the page thumbnails into the order you want. Use Add files if you forgot one.
4. Select Merge.
5. Select Download to save the combined PDF. Adobe may ask you to sign in with a free Adobe, Google or Apple account first.

The free online tool has limits on file size and how many files you can merge at once. Because your files are uploaded to Adobe’s servers, avoid it for documents with personal or financial details.

Combine PDFs offline with PDFsam Basic

PDFsam Basic is a free, open-source app that merges, splits and rotates PDFs. It works entirely on your PC.

1. Download PDFsam Basic from the official PDFsam website and install it. Only the Basic version is free; PDFsam also advertises paid editions, so make sure you choose Basic.
2. Open PDFsam Basic and select Merge.
3. Drag your PDFs into the window, or select Add.
4. Use Move up and Move down to set the order. To include only some pages from a file, type them in the Page ranges column, such as 1-3,5.
5. Under Destination file, choose where to save the combined PDF and type a name.
6. Select Run. When the bar turns green, the file is ready.

The merge settings also let you add a blank page between files, which is useful for double-sided printing, and create bookmarks for each original file.

Combine PDFs with Adobe Acrobat Pro

If you have a paid Acrobat subscription:

1. Open Acrobat and select All tools > Combine files.
2. Select Add files and choose your PDFs. You can also add Word documents, Excel sheets and images, which Acrobat converts as it combines them.
3. Drag the files into order and select Combine.
4. Select File > Save as to save the new PDF.

The free Acrobat Reader can’t combine files.

Combine images into one PDF with Microsoft Print to PDF

If your pages are photos or scans rather than PDFs, Windows can join them into one PDF without any extra software.

1. In File Explorer, select all the images. They’re combined in the order they’re sorted, so rename them first if needed (for example, page01.jpg, page02.jpg).
2. Right-click the selection and choose Show more options > Print.
3. Set Printer to Microsoft Print to PDF.
4. Choose Full page photo on the right, and clear Fit picture to frame if you don’t want the edges cropped.
5. Select Print, then choose a name and folder for the PDF.

This only works for images. Microsoft Print to PDF can’t open existing PDF files to combine them. Other options for photos are in converting JPG to PDF on Windows 11.

Tips for a clean combined PDF

• Name your files in order before merging, such as 01-cover.pdf and 02-invoice.pdf. Most tools add them alphabetically.
• Check page orientation in the finished file. Rotate sideways pages in PDFsam or Acrobat before you send it.
• Keep the originals until you’ve checked the combined file page by page.
• Watch the file size. Merging many scanned pages can create a file too big to email. Adobe’s online Compress PDF tool or Acrobat Pro can shrink it.

Troubleshooting

A file won’t add because it’s password protected

Open the PDF with its password and save an unprotected copy first, or remove the password in Acrobat Pro. PDF tools can’t merge locked files without the password.

The pages are in the wrong order

Reorder the files before merging. If the combined file is already saved, open it in PDFsam’s Rotate or Alternate Mix tools, or in Acrobat Pro’s Organize Pages, and drag pages into place.

Form fields stopped working

Some fillable forms lose their fields when merged with other files. Fill and save each form first, or use Acrobat Pro, which keeps form fields when combining.

The combined PDF looks blurry

The original pages were low-resolution scans. Merging doesn’t reduce quality, so rescan the originals at 300 dpi if you need sharper pages.

Frequently asked questions

Can Microsoft Edge combine PDFs?

No. Edge can open, annotate and sign PDFs, but it can’t merge them.

Is it safe to combine PDFs online?

Adobe’s tool is reputable, but any online tool uploads your files to someone else’s server. For sensitive documents, use PDFsam Basic or Acrobat Pro on your PC instead.

How do I split a PDF instead?

PDFsam Basic has a Split tool, and Acrobat Pro has Organize Pages > Split. Adobe also offers a free online Split PDF tool.

Can I turn the combined PDF into images?

Yes. The steps for converting a PDF to JPG work the same in Windows 11.

Related: how to password protect a PDF in Windows 10.