How to merge two PDFs

Do you need to merge two PDF files into one document? Don’t worry, this is much simpler than you think. Furthermore, to complete it, you just need to use the software available for both Windows and macOS that can often be downloaded at no cost.

There are also online services that allow you to edit, convert and create PDF documents from the browser, without the need for special plugins and above all without having to download additional programs on your computer. The same goes for apps for smartphones and tablets: there are apps for Android and iOS / iPadOS that allow you to unify PDFs directly on the go, without having to go through your PC.

Too good to be true? Not so: I assure you that everything is very true! So take five minutes or so of free time just for you and find out how to proceed by reading this guide of mine on how to merge two PDFs. I wish you a good reading and a good job!

Index

• How to merge two PDFs into one
  • PDFTK Builder (Windows)
  • Preview (macOS)
  • Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (Windows / macOS)
• How to merge two PDFs online
  • Online2PDF
  • Other solutions to merge two PDFs online
• How to merge two Android PDFs
• How to merge two PDFs on iPhone and iPad

How to merge two PDFs into one

Are you interested in understanding how to merge two PDFs into one by acting as a computer? Then turn to the tools I have reported to you below. There are both for Windows and macOS: find the one you think will be most comfortable for you and put it to the test right away.

PDFTK Builder (Windows)

If you are using a Windows PC, you can merge two PDFs very easily using PDFTK Builder. It is a free and open-source software capable of merging, splitting, protecting and rotating PDF pages.

To download the program to your computer, go to its website and click on the link pdftkb_setup.exe. When the download is complete, open the .exe file you just obtained and, in the window you see appear on the desktop, click first on the Yes button and then on the Next button, then place the checkmark on the box next to the item I accept the agreement and conclude the setup, pressing the Next (three consecutive times), Install and Finish buttons.

Once the main software window is displayed, select the Join files tab and drag and drop the documents to be processed on it. Then, use the Move up and Move down buttons to arrange the files in the order you prefer and click the Save as a button to save the unified document in a folder of your choice. That’s all!

Preview (macOS)

If you want to merge two Mac PDFs, you can do this using Preview, the default macOS application for viewing and editing PDF images and documents. How does it work? I’ll explain it to you right away.

To begin with, open the first PDF to act on, by double-clicking on its icon. If in doing this Preview does not open but another application, to remedy it, right-click on the PDF file, select the Open with item from the context menu and choose the Preview item from the additional menu displayed.

After opening the document in Preview, select the View menu at the top, choose the Thumbnails option from it and drag the second PDF to add to the first one in the left pop-up bar.

Next, arrange the PDF page thumbnails in the order you prefer by clicking on them and, continuing to hold, drag them. Finally, save the unified document by clicking on the File menu and then on the Export as PDF item attached to it. Therefore, indicate the location in which to save the output file and the name you want to assign it and that’s it.

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (Windows / macOS)

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC is software from Adobe (the company that developed the PDF format) through which you can view and edit PDF files in various ways, including merging them. It is available for both Windows and macOS, it is paid (has a base cost of 18.29 euros/month) but can be tried for free and without limitations for 7 days.

To download the program to your computer, visit its website and click on the Try 7 days button. Then activate the trial, by entering the email address of your Adobe ID in the text field on the left (if you do not yet have an Adobe account, you can create one at the moment, following the instructions on the screen), by clicking on the Continue button, by typing the relative password and providing the requested payment data. Then wait for the software download to start and complete.

When the download is complete, if you are using Windows, open the .exe file obtained and, in the window that is shown on the screen, click on the Login button and log in to your Adobe account, typing the required data. Next, hit the Start Install button. When setup is complete, click on the Login button, to log in with the Adobe ID, and then on the Start trial version button, to start the trial.

If you are using macOS, on the other hand, open the .dmg package obtained and double-click on the Acrobat Pro DC installer icon. Next, enter the password of your user account on the Mac and click on the OK button. Then log into your Adobe account, pressing the Login button and providing the required data, click the Start installing button and wait for the setup to complete.

Now that, regardless of the operating system in use, you see the main program window on the desktop, to merge two Acrobat PDFs, click on the Tools menu at the top and press the Open button located at the Combine file item.

Then click the Add button in the center of the screen and select the two PDFs on your computer that you want to merge. If you deem it necessary, you can also change the order in which the files have been arranged by clicking on their thumbnails and, continuing to hold, drag them to the desired position.

After completing the above steps, click on the Combine button located at the top right, then on the File menu at the top left and select the Save as item from the latter. Finally, indicate the location in which to save the output file, type the name you want to assign it and click on the Save button.

How to merge two PDFs online

If you do not want or cannot install new programs on your computer, you can consider merging two PDFs online by contacting the appropriate Web services, working from any browser and operating system. You will find listed below those that, in my opinion, represent the best in the category.

Online2PDF

To merge two PDFs via the web, I suggest you first consider Online2PDF. It is a free online service that does not require registration and allows you to edit PDF files in various ways. It has very wide upload limits: you can upload up to 20 documents at a time for a total weight of 150 MB (but each uploaded file cannot exceed 100 MB) and protects users’ privacy by deleting all files within 24 hours of ‘upload.

To use Online2PDF, go to the home page of the service, click on the Select files button, choose the two PDFs on your PC for which you want to intervene and wait for the upload to be completed. Alternatively, drag the PDFs into the browser window.

Next, select the Merge files item from the Mode drop-down menu, choose the merge mode from the As drop-down menu and make sure that the PDF option is selected in the Convert to the menu (the file format is maintained).

If you find it necessary, you can also change the order of the merged PDFs you just uploaded. To do this, all you have to do is move the related icons in the gray box of Online2PDF. Finally, start the merge process by clicking the Convert button.

Once the process is complete, the unified PDF will be automatically downloaded to your computer. If this doesn’t happen, select the Switch to manual download link to fix it.

Other solutions to merge two PDFs online

Looking for other solutions to merge two PDFs online? Then take a look at the Web services suitable for the purpose that I have reported to you in the list below. I point out that they all protect the privacy of users, removing the files that are uploaded to their servers within a few hours.

• iLovePDF– free, registration-free web service. It allows you to merge and edit PDF files in various ways. Note that it does not allow you to upload files with a weight greater than 100 MB. Eventually, however, it is possible to circumvent this limitation by switching to one of the paid plans (with costs starting from 6 euros/month), which also allow you to unlock other extra features.
• PDF Candy– this is another free Web service that does not require registration and allows you to intervene on PDF documents by joining them, as well as converting them, dividing them, lightening them, unlocking them etc. It does not apply limitations regarding the maximum file weight.
• PDF24– is another solution to merge PDF files via the web and through which you can possibly make various further changes to the uploaded documents. It’s free, requires no registration and no upload limits.

How to merge two Android PDFs

You don’t have a computer at hand and would you like to understand how to do it from your smartphone or tablet, joining two Android PDFs? Very simple: just use an application designed for the purpose, such as PDFelement. It is, in fact, an app that allows you to view PDF files and work on them in various ways, going to convert, merge, etc. It is free and easy to use.

To download it on your device, access the relevant section of the Play Store and tap the Install button (if you are using a device on which the Play Store is not available, you can download the app through an alternative store ). Then, start the app, selecting the relative icon that has just been added on the home screen and/or in the drawer.

Now that you see the main screen of PDFelement, press the button with horizontal lines located at the top left, select the option Merge documents from the menu that appears, press the (+) button located at the top right and select the two PDFs which is your intention to unify.

Then, tap on the button with the two sheets located at the bottom right and wait for the procedure to be completed. When the process is complete, select the Save item and specify the location on your device where you want to save the output file.

If you are not satisfied with the functioning of PDFelement, you can evaluate the use of other applications suitable for the purpose, such as the ones I pointed out to you in my guide on apps to merge PDF.

How to merge two PDFs on iPhone and iPad

If you have an Apple smartphone or tablet and therefore want to know how to merge two PDFs on iPhone or iPad, you can make use of the Commands app.

In case you don’t know, it is a proprietary solution from Apple pre-installed on the company’s devices (if removed, it can be downloaded again and for free from the relevant section of the App Store ) that allows you to run scripts to perform various operations, such as the one covered by this guide, without having to resort to the use of additional apps,

To use it to merge two PDFs, you need to install an ad hoc script, such as Combine PDFs, which you can get by visiting its web page with Safari from your iPhone or iPad and tapping the Get Quick Commands and Add Untrusted Quick Command buttons.

If in carrying out the steps you see a warning appear indicating that the command you want to obtain cannot be opened because the security settings of the Commands app do not allow it, to remedy this: select the Settings icon (the one in the shape of a gear wheel ) that you find on the home screen and/or in the App Library, then the Quick Commands item, turn the switch next to Untrusted commands to ON, tap the Allow button and type the device unlock code.

Afterwards, navigate to the location where the two PDFs to be merged are saved using the Files app, which is the default file manager of iOS / iPadOS (it is pre-installed on all iPhones or iPads, but if removed it can be downloaded again from the relative section of the App Store ), or any other application used for the purpose, then select the files in relation to which you are interested in going to act, tap on the share icon (the one with the square and the arrow ) and select the item Combine PDFs from the menu that appears.

When the process is complete, tap the Preview button to preview the output file and save the document obtained, by tapping again on the share icon, at the top right, and selecting the target app or in any case the location that you prefer.

In the event that the use of Commands does not satisfy you, you can consider turning to the use of special apps to merge PDF files, such as the ones I told you about in my article on the subject.