What happens to password-protected PDFs?

The tool loads files with ignoreEncryption enabled, so many protected files merge normally. If pdf-lib cannot read one, the row is marked "unreadable" and excluded from the output.

Can I change the order of pages inside a file?

No — you can only reorder whole files relative to each other. To reorder individual pages, split the file first, then merge the pieces.

Where does the merged file go?

It downloads directly to your browser's download folder as merged.pdf. Nothing is stored on a server.

Does merging keep bookmarks, forms, or annotations?

pdf-lib copies pages and their content but does not preserve interactive features like form fields, bookmarks, or annotations. Expect the printed content, not the interactivity.

Are my documents uploaded to a server?

No. The merge runs client-side with pdf-lib in your browser. The badge under the merge button states that nothing is uploaded.

Media

Merge PDFs

Combine multiple PDF files into one with reordering.

pdfmergecombinejoindocuments

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About the Merge PDFs

The Merge PDFs tool combines any number of PDF files into a single document, entirely in your browser with pdf-lib. Add files through the picker or by dropping several at once; each entry is validated as a real PDF, its page count is read asynchronously, and a numbered list shows the merge order. Arrow buttons move files up or down, a trash button removes one, and Clear all starts over. The stats row tracks total files, how many are valid, and the combined page count before you commit. Clicking "Merge PDFs" copies every page in order into a fresh document and downloads it as merged.pdf — no uploads, no page limits, and no watermark. Encryption is handled pragmatically: password-protected files load with encryption ignored where pdf-lib allows it. For anyone assembling reports, compiling invoices, or bundling scans into one file, this client-side PDF merge tool removes the two classic objections to online mergers: privacy concerns about sending documents to a third party, and the cost of a desktop PDF editor. Everything stays local, and the resulting file is standard PDF output ready for sharing.

Hand-written guide

Examples

Input

Three PDFs added at once: invoice-1.pdf (1 page), invoice-2.pdf (2 pages), and invoice-3.pdf (1 page).

Output

A single merged.pdf with 4 pages in the order the files were added, downloaded after the toast confirms "Merged 3 PDFs (4 pages)".

Note: The Total pages stat confirms the sum before you merge.

Input

Two files added, then the second is moved above the first with the up arrow.

Output

The merged output puts the second file's pages first, since pages are copied top-to-bottom from the visible order.

Note: Reorder before merging — the list order is the output order.

Input

A password-protected PDF added alongside a normal one.

Output

If pdf-lib can load it with ignoreEncryption, its pages merge like any other; otherwise the row shows "unreadable" and it is excluded from the valid count.

Note: Unreadable files never block the merge — they are simply skipped.

How to use

1
Click "Add PDF files" or drop multiple PDFs onto the dashed upload area.
2
Wait for each row to move from "reading…" to its page count.
3
Use the up and down arrows to set the order, or the trash button to remove entries.
4
Check the Files, Valid, and Total pages stats.
5
Click "Merge PDFs" and save the downloaded merged.pdf.

Common use cases

Combining a batch of monthly invoices into one file for an accountant.
Assembling chapters of a report written by different authors.
Bundling scanned contract pages that arrived as separate attachments.
Merging appendices into the end of a research paper.
Consolidating receipt photos exported as PDFs for expense claims.
Joining several one-page memos into a single email attachment.

Best practices

Confirm every file shows a page count before merging — rows stuck at "reading…" or "unreadable" are not included.
Order the list deliberately, since output order is exactly the visible top-to-bottom order.
Double-check the Total pages stat against your expectations to catch missing files.
Merge in small batches for very large PDFs to keep browser memory happy.
Name files meaningfully before merging, since merged.pdf is the only output name.

Tips

Drag a whole folder's worth of PDFs at once — multiple drops are allowed.
The numbered chips on the left mirror the final page order.
Remove unreadable entries before merging for a cleaner result.
Merge in file-order chunks to build a large document progressively.

Frequently asked questions

There is no hard limit in the interface; files are processed in sequence. Practical limits come from your browser's memory when combining very large documents.

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