Merge the due-diligence checklist, vendor contracts, and team memos into a single client memo PDF so reviewers can see…
Open Adobe Acrobat.
Go to File > Combine Files.
Click Add Files and select the PDF files you want to merge.
Arrange the files in your desired order by dragging and dropping them within the list.
Click Combine to merge the selected files into a single PDF document.
Save the new combined PDF to your preferred location.
You can preview and reorder files before combining to ensure the final PDF is in the correct sequence.
This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.
Combining files mostly just puts them together. It does not usually make the file size smaller. Each file keeps its own size and quality. If you want a smaller file, you should compress the PDF after you combine it. This will reduce the overall size of the new document without affecting the original files.
If your original files already had page numbers, the combined PDF will show these numbers as they were. This means page numbers might start over for each new document. To fix this, you can add new, continuous page numbers to the combined PDF after you merge it. This will give your whole document one smooth sequence of numbers.
| Feature | Combine Files | Insert Pages |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Creates one new PDF from many separate files. | Adds pages from another file into an open PDF. |
| Starting point | Starts with no open PDF, builds a new one. | Requires an open PDF to add pages into. |
| Bookmarks | Can create top-level bookmarks for each original file. | Adds pages into the existing bookmark structure of the open PDF. |
It is a good idea to keep your original files for a few days. This is because you might need to combine them again. If you delete them too soon, and something goes wrong with the combined file, you will not have the originals to re-merge.