How to Merge PDF Files for Free (No Software Needed)

The Problem with Merging PDFs

You have five separate PDF files that need to be one document. Maybe it's a contract with signature pages in a different file. Maybe it's a report broken across chapters. Maybe HR sent you six onboarding forms and your new employer wants a single PDF.

Whatever the reason, you need to combine them — and you'd rather not install Adobe Acrobat to do it.

How to Merge PDFs in Your Browser

The PDFShift Merge tool combines multiple PDF files into a single document. The whole thing runs in your browser, so your files never touch a remote server.

Here's how:

1. Open the Merge tool and drag your PDF files onto the upload area
2. Reorder if needed — drag files to arrange them in the sequence you want
3. Click Merge — processing takes a few seconds, depending on file sizes
4. Download your combined PDF

That's it. No account creation, no email required, no "free trial" upsells.

Common Scenarios Where Merging Saves Time

Contracts and Legal Documents

You've got the main agreement in one file, exhibits in another, and the signature page in a third. Instead of emailing three attachments (and hoping the recipient opens them in order), merge them into one clean document.

School and University Submissions

Many university portals accept only a single PDF upload. If your assignment has a cover page, essay, and bibliography as separate files, merge first, then upload.

Invoices and Expense Reports

Consolidating monthly invoices into one file makes bookkeeping simpler. Merge January through December into a single annual file and your accountant will thank you.

Scanned Documents

If you scanned a multi-page document one page at a time (we've all been there), merging puts those individual scans back into a single coherent file.

What About Page Order?

Page order matters. PDFShift lets you drag and drop files to rearrange them before merging. The final PDF follows the exact sequence you set. If you need finer control — like rearranging individual pages within a file — split the PDF first, then merge the pages in your preferred order.

File Size Limits

Each file can be up to 50MB. There's no limit on how many files you can merge at once. If your combined PDF ends up too large for email, run it through the Compress tool to shrink it down.

Privacy: Your Files Stay on Your Device

This is worth emphasizing because most online PDF tools work by uploading your files to a server. PDFShift processes everything locally using your browser's built-in capabilities. Your documents never leave your machine — not even temporarily.

That makes it safe for:

• Contracts with confidential terms
• Medical or financial records
• Internal business documents
• Anything you wouldn't want sitting on someone else's server

Merging PDFs on Mobile

The Merge tool works on phones and tablets too. Open it in Safari or Chrome on your mobile device, select your files, and merge. No app install needed. If you're on an iPhone, check out our guide on merging PDFs on iPhone for step-by-step instructions.

When You Need More Than Merging

If you regularly deal with complex PDF workflows — forms, annotations, OCR, or digital signatures — a dedicated desktop app like Adobe Acrobat or PDF Expert might be worth the investment. But for straightforward merge jobs, a free browser-based tool gets the job done without the subscription.