Whether you're running Windows or MacOS, knowing how to combine PDF files is a good skill to have. We'll teach you the best ways, using a mix of the market leader (and pricey) Adobe Acrobat DC. Aug 16, 2018 - Combine PDF files using Adobe Acrobat Reader Pro or DC. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat, you can install a free trial of Adobe Acrobat.
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This document describes how to combine multiple files in Adobe Acrobat and save them as a single PDF file.
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
- Open Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.
- Click on File.
- Click on Create.
- Choose Combine Files into a Single PDF....
- Click Add Files.
- Select every PDF you want to combine by clicking on one file and then CTRL+clicking on each additional file.
- Click on Combine.
- Finally, choose File > Save As... and choose a location to save your new combined PDF to.
Adobe Acrobat Pro XI
- Launch Adobe Acrobat Pro XI.
- Under 'Select a Task', click on Combine Files into PDF.
- If you do not see this option, you can navigate to this through the menus.
- On Windows, click on the Create button on the left side of the task bar, then choose Combine Files into a Single PDF.
- On a Mac, go to File > Create > Combine into a Single PDF.
- Once in the 'Combine Files' windows, you can add files by either dragging and dropping into the center of the window or selecting Add Files... in the upper left corner.
- After choosing your files, click on Combine Files.
- Finally, choose File > Save As... and choose a location to save your new combined PDF to.
Keywords: | combine merge merging save pdfs separate different word docs documents .docx .pdf Suggest keywords | Doc ID: | 71173 |
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Owner: | Christine M. | Group: | UW-Extension and Colleges |
Created: | 2017-02-28 16:31 CST | Updated: | 2018-05-02 07:38 CST |
Sites: | Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learning, DoIT Help Desk, UW-Extension and Colleges | ||
Feedback: | 3025CommentSuggest a new document |
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Being able to combine PDF files is helpful in an office environment where various documents are collected, scanned and then collated into one document for clients or data history purposes. Merge PDF files, two or more, by using the Adobe Acrobat Reader Combine PDF function. Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is the cloud-based version of Adobe Acrobat Pro. Both make it easier for documents stored in the office's cloud network to merge. PDFs can't be combined in Reader alone; they need the tools found in either Acrobat version.
Open Primary Document
![Adobe Combine Files Free Adobe Combine Files Free](/uploads/1/2/5/2/125248523/245641062.jpg)
Open the primary document that will become the foundation for the combined PDF in Adobe Acrobat. The primary document may already be a saved PDF file or it may be a different source file. For example, you may have a Word document that must be resaved as a PDF document before you can work with it in Acrobat. Additionally, a scanned document might automatically save as a JPEG file. This would also need to be adjusted and saved as a PDF to allow Adobe to merge PDF files.
Tip
- If you do not have Adobe Acrobat, you can install a free trial of Adobe Acrobat DC. This allows you seven days to work in Acrobat to determine if you want to extend your trial into a subscription.
Use Adobe Reader Tools to Combine PDFs
When you have the primary PDF document open, select 'Tools' in the top tab in Acrobat to open a menu. Locate and select 'Combine Files.' This prompts you to find the file you want to attach to the primary document. For the sake of this example, call it the secondary document. Choose the secondary document and click the button to 'Add Files.' The two files are merged, with the primary document being the first set of pages and the secondary document pages following those of the primary's document. Save the new document under a new file name for easy searching.
Rearranging Pages in Acrobat
As the Adobe name suggests, Acrobat allows things to jump around. This means you can take the merged documents and rearrange pages to make the document more efficient for your presentation needs. For example, assume you scanned a client's contract into Acrobat and saved it as Doc1. However, the scanner is only capable of scanning front sides, while the contract is printed on both sides of the page. Scan the back pages in as a second PDF called Doc2. Merge the two PDFs into one merged PDF.
With the merged document open, open 'Tools' and select 'Organize Pages.' You will see a small preview thumbnail of the pages on the right. Grab the page you want and insert it after the page it should follow. For example, if the merged document page that is currently page 9 should be page 2, drag and drop page 9 in between pages 1 and 2. Page 9 is inserted and the page numbers are reordered. Keep the original document on hand if possible to keep track of pages as they are renumbered to prevent confusion.
References (3)
About the Author
With more than 15 years of small business ownership including owning a State Farm agency in Southern California, Kimberlee understands the needs of business owners first hand. When not writing, Kimberlee enjoys chasing waterfalls with her son in Hawaii.
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Leonard, Kimberlee. 'How to Combine PDF Files With Reader.' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/combine-pdf-files-reader-57812.html. 09 April 2019.
Leonard, Kimberlee. (2019, April 09). How to Combine PDF Files With Reader. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/combine-pdf-files-reader-57812.html
Leonard, Kimberlee. 'How to Combine PDF Files With Reader' last modified April 09, 2019. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/combine-pdf-files-reader-57812.html
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