How to Combine PDF Files Without Adobe Acrobat

The free Adobe Acrobat Reader lets you open and read PDFs, but combining files is part of the paid Acrobat Pro subscription. For the everyday task of joining a few documents into one, a paid subscription is unnecessary. There are free options on every operating system.

A browser tool works the same way on every computer, which is useful if you switch between a work PC and a personal Mac. PDF Utility's Merge PDF runs locally in the browser, so your files are combined on your computer rather than uploaded to a server.

1. Open Merge PDF in Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox.
2. Drag your PDFs onto the page, or click to select them. You can also add JPG, PNG and WebP images.
3. Drag the thumbnails into the order you want.
4. Enter a password for any protected PDF when prompted.
5. Click Merge and download the combined PDF.

macOS includes Preview, which can combine PDFs. Open the first PDF, show thumbnails from the View menu, then drag other PDFs from Finder into the thumbnail sidebar at the position you want. Save the result, ideally with Export as PDF so the original stays unchanged.

Preview works well for a couple of files. With many files it is easy to drop pages in the wrong place, and it is only available on a Mac.

Windows does not include a tool that merges existing PDF files. It can, however, combine images into a PDF: select several images in File Explorer, choose Print, then select Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer. That approach does not work for joining existing PDFs, which is why most Windows users turn to a browser tool.

• Many files or mixed PDFs and photos: a browser tool with thumbnails and drag-and-drop ordering.
• Two files on a Mac: Preview is quick and already installed.
• Confidential documents: choose a tool that processes locally, such as Merge PDF, so files are not uploaded.
• Regular heavy editing work, such as forms and redaction: a full desktop editor may be worth paying for.

Check the combined document from beginning to end. If a page is out of place, fix it with Rearrange PDF rather than merging again. Remove blanks with Delete PDF Pages, add a cover page with Insert Content, and use Compress PDF if the result is too large to email.

If the merged file contains sensitive information, protect it with a password before sending it.