How do I make sure my combined PDF is easy to navigate?

When combining, make sure 'Preserve Bookmarks' is checked. This will create a top-level bookmark for each original file. These bookmarks act like a table of contents, helping you jump to different sections of your new PDF.

What is the difference between combining files and inserting pages?

Feature What it does Best for. Combine Files Puts many separate files (like Word, Excel, PDFs) into one new PDF document. Creating a single packet from multiple different documents. Insert Pages Adds pages from one PDF into an existing PDF document. Adding specific pages or a full PDF into a PDF you are already working on.

Assembling Multi-Format Package in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

1 way to ask · copy any one

CDecide — “help me choose”I have [time=two hours] to assemble pleadings, orders, and exhibits into a single service…+

I have [time=two hours] to assemble pleadings, orders, and exhibits into a single service packet and get it to all counsel before the [deadline=4:00 status conference]. I don’t want to miss an exhibit or create a file that counsel can’t open. Tell me the fastest dependable way to produce a single [file=PDF] package, how to label the components for counsel and docketing, and one last check before transmission.

when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed.

How to do it

the tool · the steps · what to avoid

1
Open Adobe Acrobat.
2
Go to the Tools tab and select Combine Files.
3
Click Add Files and select the PDFs, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and image files you want to combine.
Best practiceYou can select multiple files at once by holding down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) while clicking.
4
Arrange the files in your desired order by dragging and dropping them within the Combine Files window.
Best practiceReorder files before combining to control the sequence of pages in the final PDF.
5
If you want to include only certain pages from a file, click the file's thumbnail and select the specific pages.
6
Click Combine to merge all selected files into a single PDF.
7
Save the new combined PDF to your desired location.

In the appWith the API

You can drag and drop files of different types directly into the Combine Files window to add them quickly.

This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.

Glossary

words on this page

Combine FilesAn Acrobat feature that puts multiple documents or images into a single PDF.ExampleYou use this Acrobat feature to gather several reports and images into one PDF.

ThumbnailA small picture that shows what a page or file looks like.ExampleClicking on the thumbnail of page 5 quickly displays the full content of that page.

BookmarkA link in a PDF that helps you jump to a specific part of the document.ExampleClicking the 'Exhibit A' bookmark takes you directly to the relevant court document.

The real tasks

the one, listed here

Clerk intake asked me to assemble and serve a package to counsel before the 4:00 status conference, and several files are in different formats.

FAQ

about this task

When combining, make sure 'Preserve Bookmarks' is checked.
This will create a top-level bookmark for each original file.
These bookmarks act like a table of contents, helping you jump to different sections of your new PDF.

The main purpose of combining files is to gather many different documents, like Word files, Excel sheets, images, and other PDFs, into a single, organized PDF document. This makes it easier to share, review, and manage related information as one complete package.

No, if your original files already had page numbers, the combined PDF will show those numbers restarting for each new document. To have continuous page numbers throughout your entire combined PDF, you will need to add new, continuous page numbers to the document after you have finished combining all the files.

Combining files rarely makes the PDF smaller; it usually keeps the same size or makes it larger because it's bringing many files together. If your combined PDF is too large, you should compress it AFTER you have finished combining all the files. Compressing the PDF will help reduce its file size without losing too much quality.

Feature	What it does	Best for
Combine Files	Puts many separate files (like Word, Excel, PDFs) into one new PDF document.	Creating a single packet from multiple different documents.
Insert Pages	Adds pages from one PDF into an existing PDF document.	Adding specific pages or a full PDF into a PDF you are already working on.

Assembling Multi-Format Package

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help

Video

Other guides

When it fails