PDFs

How to Merge PDFs and Extract Selected Pages

Combine PDF files in the order you need or extract ranges such as 1-3,5. Follow a page-selection example and check the result before sharing the document.

Reviewed

Merging joins complete files in the order shown in the list. Splitting here means extracting selected pages from one file into one new PDF. It does not automatically create a separate download for every page or range.

Before you start

  • Use unencrypted PDFs and keep the originals, particularly if they contain signatures, forms or bookmarks.
  • Write down the desired file order for merging, or the physical PDF page numbers for extracting.
  • Use the page position shown by a PDF viewer. A printed page label such as “iii” or “12” may not match the file’s page position.

Follow the steps

  1. For a packet, open Merge PDFs

    Select at least two PDFs. You can add files in several rounds. Use the up and down buttons to arrange the visible list; the output follows that list, with every page of each file kept in its original sequence.

  2. Create the merged file

    Remove an unwanted file before selecting Create & download PDF. The download is named merged.pdf. Open it and inspect the transition between each pair of source documents.

  3. For selected pages, open Extract PDF Pages

    Choose one PDF. Enter individual page numbers and ascending ranges separated by commas, such as 1-3,5. All page numbers must exist in the chosen PDF.

  4. Set the page order deliberately

    Entries are read from left to right. Within a range, pages ascend. Repeated pages are included only the first time they appear. Use separate page numbers to reverse a sequence; a descending range such as 5-3 is invalid.

  5. Inspect the selected-pages download

    Create & download PDF produces selected-pages.pdf. Compare its page count and first/last pages against your plan. To make several output files, run another extraction with another selection.

Worked examples

Build a 10-page application packet

Your cover is 1 page, application is 3 pages and evidence is 6 pages. Put cover.pdf first, application.pdf second and evidence.pdf third. The result should contain 10 pages, with evidence beginning at output page 5.

The file picker’s selection order is not a reliable plan. Confirm the visible list and move files before exporting.

Move an appendix to the front of an 8-page PDF

Enter the selection below. The result contains 6 pages in this order: 6, 7, 8, 1, 2, 4. The last 2 is ignored because page 2 was already selected. It produces one PDF, not three files.

6-8,1-2,4,2

Reordering whole files and individual pages

The merge list rearranges whole files. It has no per-page drag editor. To use only some pages from a source, extract those pages first, then merge that resulting PDF with the other files. To reorder pages within one PDF, enter their desired sequence in the extractor.

When a file is rejected

Check whether it is encrypted, damaged or over a byte/page limit. A PDF that opens in a viewer may still contain unsupported structures. Obtain an unencrypted copy from the document owner or export a fresh copy from the original application, then inspect the new file before retrying.

Check the result

  • The output page count matches the expected count, allowing for duplicate selections being removed.
  • Every document boundary, rotated page and large diagram is readable.
  • Required form fields, signatures and bookmarks still behave as needed; keep originals when those features matter.

Limits and boundaries

  • Merge: 2–20 files. Each PDF is limited to 100,000,000 bytes; combined selected files to 200,000,000 bytes.
  • At most 1500 pages per source document and 1500 pages in a merged output.
  • Extraction uses one source PDF and a nonempty page selection of at most 2000 characters.
  • Encrypted PDFs are unsupported. Interactive forms, digital signatures and bookmarks may not carry over. This workflow does not compress, OCR or edit page text.