How do I merge PDF files into one?
To merge PDF files, drop two or more PDFs into FixDoks's Merge PDF tool, drag the file cards into the order you want, then click Merge PDFs. The tool runs entirely in your browser, so files never leave your device, and pages keep their original text, images and quality in the combined PDF.
Merge PDF at a glance
| Input | Two or more PDF files |
|---|---|
| Output | One combined PDF |
| Processing | In your browser; your files are not uploaded |
| Price | Free, no watermark |
| Download | Free Google sign-in |
| Works on | Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox on Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone |
How to use Merge PDF Files
- Click Select PDF files or drop two or more PDFs onto the box.
- Drag the file cards into the order you want, or use the up and down arrows, or click Sort A-Z.
- Click Show pages on any file to expand its page thumbnails, then tap a page to leave it out of the merge.
- Click Merge PDFs and download the combined file.
How does merging PDFs work?
Merging takes the pages from every file you add and stitches them into one PDF, in the order the file cards are arranged. Nothing is re-typed or flattened: text stays selectable, images stay at full quality, and the page size of each source file is kept as it was. FixDoks does this entirely in your browser, so large reports or scanned bundles never need to leave your device.
Reordering files and pages
Once your files are added, each one appears as a card with its name and page count. Drag a card to move the whole file earlier or later in the final PDF, or use the up and down arrow buttons if dragging is awkward on a trackpad. If your files already have sensible names, like "01-cover.pdf" and "02-report.pdf", the Sort A-Z button will order them correctly in one click.
For finer control, click Show pages under any file. This expands a strip of page thumbnails for that file. Tap a page to mark it as skipped, useful when a scanned document has a blank page in the middle, or a contract has a cover sheet you don't need in the final bundle. Skipped pages are left out of the merged PDF but the original file on your device is untouched.
What does and doesn't carry over
| Kept | Not kept |
|---|---|
| Page content, text, images, page size | Bookmarks and outline entries |
| Text selectability and searchability | Fillable form fields (they may stop working) |
If any of your source files has a fillable form, flatten it first at flatten PDF so the entered values are kept as normal page content before you merge. Otherwise a field with the same name in two files can clash after merging.
Common problems
- One file won't add. If a PDF is password-protected, unlock it first at unlock PDF, since tools that change a PDF cannot open a locked one.
- Merged file is huge. Merging never shrinks pages, so if the total is too big for email, run it through compress PDF afterwards.
- Wrong order. Drag the file cards again before clicking merge. Once downloaded, the file itself is not re-editable here, but you can re-upload it along with others to fix the order.
- Need to add a blank page or insert something later. Merging only combines complete files. If you need to insert a blank page or rearrange pages after merging, do that afterwards with organize PDF.
The output file is named after the first file in your list, with "-merged" added, so "invoice.pdf" plus others becomes "invoice-merged.pdf". This makes it easy to spot the finished file in a downloads folder even after merging several batches of PDFs in the same session.