How to Combine and Convert Multiple Files into PDFs.

Are you tired of juggling a lot of individual files and wasting time trying to find what you want? Or swapping between different apps to open documents in different formats? Or want to be able to convert multiple files to PDF at the same time? The ability to seamlessly combine and convert multiple files into PDFs is transformative — it saves time, and it is easy to do. Once you do so, you will never look back.

Convert and combine multiple files into PDF files all in one go with Adobe Acrobat online or an Adobe Acrobat application. Keep reading, to learn how.

What you’ll learn

• When to merge PDFs at work, as a student, and for personal use
• The value of merging and batch-converting files to PDF
• Four ways to work with and convert PDF files
• Tips for optimising merged PDFs.

When to merge PDFs at work, as a student, and for personal use.

Merging and saving files into one PDF file can be useful in many situations, whether you are a working professional, a student, or managing files and documents at home. Some examples are —

• Working professionals.
  Businesspeople and working professionals can combine reports, presentations, and charts into one PDF document for internal and external meetings or client presentations.

• Students and educators.
  Students and educators can collate lecture notes, reference materials, and supplementary resources into a single PDF for efficient learning and studying.

• Personal use.
  At home, we tend to have many personal documents such as financial and tax-related documents, receipts, insurance policies, travel documents, information and itineraries, CVs, and cover letters for job applications, and so on. These can be merged and combined into single PDFs to keep organized and be shared with other parties when needed.

The value of merging and batch converting files to PDF.

Portable document format (PDF) files are the universal go-to file type for file sharing and storing. With PDFs, you can transfer files between different operating systems — and ensure that your document formatting, fonts, and images are still intact across various devices. PDFs also have various security setting options to keep your information secure and protect the integrity of your document contents.

The benefits of combining multiple files into one PDF, and batch converting separate files are many. For example —

• Make accessibility seamless.
  Instead of scattering files across different folders or formats, merge them into a single PDF to streamline accessibility. Combining your documents into one file reduces the need to open multiple applications or navigate through various folders to access information.

• Organize your content.
  Whether you have a collection of images or photos, spreadsheets, presentations, or text documents, merging them simplifies the process of categorization and retrieval. A combined PDF file reduces digital clutter and makes information more organized and easier to manage. Merged PDF files also save storage space, making them the best choice for archiving documents.

• Improve collaboration and information sharing.
  If you are collaborating on projects or sharing information, a merged PDF ensures that all relevant content is contained within a single file. This reduces the chances of omitting or misplacing documents and helps with smoother communication, collaboration, and teamwork.

• Convert and merge documents to PDF online or in an application.
  Choose whether you want to convert and merge PDFs online with our web-based services, or merge and combine files with a subscription to an Adobe Acrobat application. You can also use Adobe Acrobat’s web-based services to convert a range of file formats to PDFs online, edit PDFs, and more.

• Save time by batch-converting files.
  If you have a lot of individual documents that you want to keep as separate files but convert to PDF, you will find save time by creating multiple PDF files using Adobe Acrobat.

Four ways to work with and convert multiple PDF files.

In this section, learn step-by-step three ways you can manage and work with multiple files using Adobe Acrobat products and tools.

1. Combine multiple files into a single PDF online.

If you have multiple files in PDF format that you want to combine or merge into one PDF file, you can do so online. Simply —

1. Go to this page on Adobe Acrobat online.
   
2. Drag and drop the PDF files that you want to merge or click on the “Select files” button to upload them.
3. Rearrange the order of the files if you need to.
4. Click “Merge files”
5. Download the merged PDF.
6. Log into Adobe Acrobat online to access further tools to organize or rearrange individual pages or share your merged PDF.

2. Combine multiple files into one PDF with Adobe Acrobat.

Combining multiple files of different file types into a single PDF in Adobe Acrobat is straightforward. Simply —

1. Open Adobe Acrobat.
2. In the top menu bar, click on “+ Create.”
3. Click on “Multiple files.”
4. Click on “Combine files” and then click on “Next.”
   
5. Drag and drop the files you want to combine or click on the “Add files button.”
6. Rearrange the page order, choose from options to select file sizes, and add more pages, if needed.
7. Click on the “Combine” button.
8. The merged PDF is saved by default with the file name “Binder1.pdf.” You can keep this rename and save it to your preferred location.

3. Convert multiple files into separate PDFs.

You can convert multiple individual files to PDF format as a batch in Adobe Acrobat. Simply —

1. Open Adobe Acrobat.
2. In the top menu bar, click on “+ Create.”
3. Click on “Multiple files.”
4. Click on “Create multiple PDF files” and then click on “Next.”
   
5. Click on “Add files” and add the files you want to convert.
6. Click “Okay.”
7. Select from the output options to save your PDFs to the same or new folders, and original or new file names.
8. Click “Okay.

4. Combine your documents into a PDF Portfolio.

Create a PDF portfolio when you want to group and organize documents into one place but keep all original file formats. Simply —

1. Open Adobe Acrobat.
2. In the top menu bar, click on “+ Create.”
3. Click on “Multiple files.”
4. Click on “Create PDF portfolio” and then click on “Next.”
   
5. Drag and drop the files you want to group for easy access or click on “Add files” to add the files you want to put in your PDF Portfolio. Along with individual files, you can add folders, web page addresses, scan to PDF, and more.
6. Rearrange the files/folders into the order you want them.
7. Click “Create.”
8. The PDF portfolio is saved by default with the file name “Portfolio1.pdf.” You can keep this or rename it and save it to your preferred location.

Tips for optimizing merged PDFs.

Once you have merged, converted, or dropped your files into a PDF portfolio, keep exploring the tools you have available with Adobe Acrobat to optimize them further. Some tips include —

• Review bookmark names.
  When you combine multiple files into one PDF, bookmarks are automatically created from the original individual file names. Edit your bookmarks to match your content and how you want your readers to navigate your document.

• Rearrange content as you please.
  If you need to make further changes to the page positions in your merged PDF, use the tools in Adobe Acrobat or online services to delete PDF pages, rotate PDF pages, split PDFs, and more.

• Add PDF page numbers.
  Merged files can become lengthy. Add PDF page numbers to show the location of each page in your merged PDF.

• Reduce PDF file sizes even further.
  Use the tools in your Adobe Acrobat application or compress a PDF online to reduce your PDF file size even further for sharing or archiving purposes.

Related content.

Check out a few of our related articles on how to work with PDFs —

• PDF Portfolios – Group Your Different File Types Easily
• Battling with Big File Sizes? Prepare and Share Large PDFs with Your Team
• How to Make a PDF File Searchable
• How to Add PDF Bookmarks and Navigate Long Documents