How to merge and split a PDF

⧈ 1. Merging several PDFs into one document

This is the classic case: separate chapters, attachments arriving from different people, scans made in several sessions that have to become a single file.

1. Install the extension from the download page; it works the same on Windows, Mac and Linux.
2. From the home screen choose Merge/Split PDF, or open a document and use Merge multiple PDFs from Organize pages.
3. Add the files to combine.
4. Arrange them in the order in which they should appear in the final document.
5. Click Import: the pages flow into a single PDF that remains editable.
6. When you are done, click Download PDF.

▦ 2. Putting the pages in the right order

After merging, the order is rarely the final one, especially if the files came from different sources.

1. In Organize pages drag the thumbnails into the correct sequence.
2. Delete the blank pages and duplicates that merging has brought along.
3. Straighten crooked pages with Rotate left or Rotate right.
4. Confirm with Apply page changes.

✂ 3. Splitting a PDF into several files

The reverse operation is what you need when a document is too long to consult or too heavy to send.

1. Open the document and go into Organize pages.
2. Set Split every N pages with the interval you want.
3. Click Split PDF to obtain the separate files.
4. This is the right route when the document exceeds the size limits for email attachments.

▣ 4. Extracting only some pages

Often there is no need to split everything: it is enough to obtain a new document with just the pages that matter.

1. Select in the grid the pages you want to isolate.
2. Click Extract selected pages.
3. You get a PDF containing exclusively those pages, without touching the original.
4. It is the cleanest way to send a single chapter of a long document, or to share one attachment without the rest of the file.

◩ 5. Finishing the merged document

A file born from merging several sources almost always needs a few touches to look like a single document.

1. Add numbering with Page Numbers: without it, a compiled document is hard to cite. See the guide on how to add page numbers.
2. Make the sizes uniform with Resize page if the files had different formats.
3. Add a header and footer for consistency: see the guide on header and footer.
4. On long documents, a clickable table of contents at the front makes a real difference: see how to create a table of contents.

💡 6. Practical advice

A few precautions save you from doing the work twice.

• ✓ Order before finishing: numbering and the table of contents should be added once the page sequence is final, otherwise they are immediately wrong.
• ✓ Delete before compressing: removing useless pages lightens the file more than any compression.
• ✓ Check the orientation of files coming from different scanners: some blocks are often rotated.
• ✓ Verify the links: if the source documents contained internal links, after merging they point to page numbers that have changed.

? 7. Frequently asked questions

The questions that come up most often on this topic.