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 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.
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.
Advertisement Article continues below this adWhen 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.
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.
Advertisement Article continues below this adWith 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.
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