Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Merge scans and images into one PDF with FormatDrop
FormatDrop cannot merge files that are already PDFs yet. A PDF merge tool is coming soon. What works today: if your pages are scans or photos, drop the JPG or PNG files on the JPG to PDF converter. It joins them into a single PDF, one page per image, right in your browser. Free plan limits: up to 5 files, 10 MB each. Pro raises the size limit to 500 MB per file.
Go to converter - 2
Merge files that are already PDFs with a free desktop tool
On a Mac, open the first PDF in Preview, drag the other PDFs into the page sidebar, and save. On any system with a command line, qpdf is free: qpdf --empty --pages a.pdf b.pdf c.pdf -- output.pdf. Both keep every page exactly as it was, with no re-encoding.
- 3
Check the merged PDF
Open the result and confirm the pages are in the right order. Bookmarks and metadata from the first file are usually kept. Bookmarks from later files may be lost — re-add them in your PDF reader if you need them.
Why merge PDF files?
Merging PDFs is a one-of-a-kind operation that's universal in business — every contract, every report, every scanned book has been merged at some point. Doing it well preserves every byte of the originals.
Your files never leave your device
FormatDrop runs the conversion engine entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly. No file upload. No server. Nothing stored. You can verify this by opening DevTools → Network tab and watching: zero upload requests.
Frequently asked questions
Best command-line tool to merge PDFs?
How do I merge PDFs on a Mac?
Can I merge PDFs in Python?
No account. No upload. Works in any browser.