Other options for combining files

    Create merged PDFs

    In a merged PDF, converted documents flow into a single PDF as sequential pages.

    1. Choose File > Create > Combine Files Into A Single PDF.

      If a PDF is currently open, it appears in the list of included files.

    2. From the Add Files menu, choose any of the following:

      • To add individual files, choose Add Files, then select the files.

      • To add all the files in a folder, choose Add Folders, then select the folder.
        Note: If the folder contains files that Acrobat does not support for PDF conversion, those files are not added.

      • To add files that you have combined into PDFs in other sessions, choose Reuse Files. Then select a previously created PDF from the left list, and from the right list, select the component documents. (If you have not used the Combine Files dialog box before, this option is not available.)

      • To add currently open PDFs, choose Add Open Files, then select the files.

        In Windows, you can also drag files or folders from the desktop or a folder into the Combine Files dialog box. Or right-click the selected items and choose Combine Supported Files In Acrobat.

      If any files are password-protected, one or more messages appear, in which you must enter the correct password.

      You can add a file more than once. For example, one file could be used for transition pages between other files or a blank file could be used to add blank pages.
    3. As needed, do any of the following in the list of files:

      • To rearrange the order of files on the list, select a file, then drag it or click Move Up or Move Down.

      • To sort the list, click the column name that you want to sort by. Click again to sort in reverse order.

      • To convert only part of a multipage source file, double-click the file, or select the file and click the Choose Pages button (see Note). In the Preview, review and select pages, as needed, following the instructions in the dialog box, which vary according to file type, and click OK.
        Note: The name of the Choose button varies according to file type. For PDFs and Word documents, it is labeled Choose Pages; for PowerPoint files, it is Choose Slides; for Excel files, Choose Sheets.
    4. Click Options to specify conversion settings.
    5. Specify a file size, and then click Combine Files.

      A status dialog box shows the progress of the file conversions. Some source applications start and close automatically.

    File Size settings

    Smaller File Size
    Reduces large images to screen resolution and compresses, using low-quality JPEG. Suitable for on-screen display, email, and the Internet.
    Note: If any of the source files are already PDFs, the Smaller File Size option applies the Reduce File Size feature to those files. The Reduce File Size feature is not applied if either the Default File Size or Larger File Size option is selected.

    Default File Size
    Creates PDFs suitable for reliable viewing and printing of business documents.

    Larger File Size
    Applies the High Quality Print conversion preset.

    Insert one PDF into another

    1. Open the PDF that serves as the basis of the combined file.
    2. Choose Tools > Pages > Insert From File.
    3. Select the PDF.
    4. In the Insert Pages dialog box, specify where to insert the document (before or after the first or last page, or a designated page). Click OK.
    5. To leave the original PDF intact as a separate file, choose Save As, and type a new name for the merged PDF.
    You can also add an existing file to an open PDF. Drag the file icon directly into position in the Page Thumbnails panel in the navigation pane.

    Insert a clipboard selection into a PDF (Windows)

    You can insert one or more pages of selected content copied from any application into an existing PDF.

    1. Open the document containing the content that you want to add. Select the content, and then copy the selection (in most applications, by choosing Edit > Copy File To Clipboard).
    2. Open the PDF that serves as the basis of the combined file.
    3. Choose Tools > Pages > More Insert Options > Insert From Clipboard.
    4. In the Insert Pages dialog box, specify where to insert the selection (before or after the first or last page, or a designated page). Click OK.
    5. To leave the original PDF intact as a separate file, choose Save As, and type a new name for the merged PDF.

    Placing PDFs as linked files in other documents

    You can incorporate PDFs into other types of files that support Object Linking and Embedding (OLE), such as InDesign® or Word files. These files are called OLE container documents. Later, if you make changes to the original PDF, the OLE features in the container application can update the embedded file in the container document, reflecting your changes to the original PDF.

     Do one of the following:

    • Choose the OLE container application’s Insert Object command or Insert Hyperlink command.

    • (Windows) In Acrobat, choose Edit > Copy File To Clipboard, and then choose the Paste Special command in the container application.