Here's the slightly annoying truth: Windows 10 and Windows 11 can open PDFs (in Microsoft Edge) and create PDFs (with Microsoft Print to PDF), but there's no built-in button to combine two existing PDFs into one. So you need a tool. The good news is you don't need to pay for one.
The easy way: merge in your browser
You already have a browser, so this is the no-install option.
- Open JoinPDFs Merge PDF in Edge, Chrome or Firefox.
- Open File Explorer, select your PDFs (hold Ctrl and click each one), and drag them onto the drop zone. Or click Select files and pick them.
- Drag the file cards into the order you want. The top-left one goes first.
- Click Merge PDF, then Download. The file goes to your Downloads folder.
The merging runs on your PC inside the browser, so your files aren't uploaded to anybody's server. That makes it fine for work documents, tax forms and anything else you'd rather keep private. If your company blocks software installs, this still works.
What about Microsoft Print to PDF?
People try this a lot, so let's clear it up. Print to PDF is a "printer" that saves to a PDF file instead of paper. It's great for turning a web page or a Word document into a PDF. But it prints one document at a time. If you print three PDFs to it, you get three separate PDFs, not one combined file.
One exception that's actually useful: images. If you have a bunch of JPGs (say, photos of receipts), you can combine them:
- Select all the images in File Explorer.
- Right-click and choose Print (on Windows 11 you may need Show more options first).
- Pick Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer, choose a layout (Full page photo works well) and click Print.
- Name your file and save.
You get one PDF with all the images. For more control over page size and margins, use JPG to PDF instead.
What about Microsoft Edge?
Edge is a solid PDF viewer. It can draw on PDFs, highlight, add text and even fill in forms. But it can't merge files. Same goes for the Photos app.
What about Word?
Word can open a PDF and convert it into an editable document, and you can insert other files, then save it all as a PDF. It technically works, but the conversion often scrambles layouts, fonts and tables. It's fine for simple text documents and a mess for anything with formatting. We wouldn't bother.
What about the Windows Photos or Paint apps?
Neither one opens PDFs for editing. You could screenshot pages and paste them around, but you'd lose all the text quality, and it's a slog. Any of the methods above is quicker.
Paid and installed options
Adobe Acrobat (the paid version, not the free Reader) merges PDFs very well, and there are plenty of free desktop apps too. If you merge PDFs all day at work, a desktop app might be worth it. For the occasional "the HR portal only accepts one file" moment, the browser is quicker than installing anything.
A word of caution about random free PDF downloads: some bundle adware or try to change your browser's home page. Stick with well-known apps, and decline any extra offers in the installer.
Merging on a Chromebook
Chromebooks are in the same boat as Windows: they can view PDFs but have no built-in merge. The browser method above works exactly the same on ChromeOS. Pick files from your Downloads folder or Google Drive in the file picker, and the merged PDF saves back to Downloads.
Tips for Windows users
Get the order right before you start
In File Explorer, rename files with numbers up front (01, 02, 03). When you select them all and drag them into the browser, they usually arrive in that order.
Check the size before you email
Outlook and most email services have attachment limits around 20 to 25MB. If your merged file is bigger, run it through Compress PDF. See how to reduce PDF size for email for more.
Fix pages after merging
Need to delete a blank page or move one page somewhere else? Open the merged file in Organize PDF.
Password-protected PDFs
Encrypted PDFs can't be merged until the password is removed. Open the file in Edge with the password, then print it to Microsoft Print to PDF to make a password-free copy (only do this for files you're allowed to, obviously).