How to merge PDF files for free, without uploading them
To merge PDFs with Kopitiam, open Merge PDF, choose your first file, and pick the next one when the file picker opens again. Every file you add goes on the end. Drag the page thumbnails into the order you want, then click Download to save one combined PDF.
It is free, there is no account and no watermark, and the files never leave your device. The merge happens inside your browser tab, so nothing is uploaded to a server. This guide covers the steps, how to get the order right, how to bring in photos and scans, and what to do when a file refuses to join.
How to merge PDFs, step by step
- Open Merge PDF and drop your first PDF onto the page, or click to choose it.
- The file picker opens again by itself. Choose the second PDF. Its pages are added after the first file's pages.
- To add a third file or more, click Merge in the toolbar, or Add page at the top of the page rail on the left. Each one goes on the end.
- Drag the thumbnails in the page rail to reorder pages. With the keyboard, focus a thumbnail and press Alt with the up or down arrow to move it.
- Use the small buttons above each page to fix it: Rotate left, Rotate right, Duplicate or Delete page.
- Click Download in the top bar. The combined file is saved with your first file's name plus "-edited".
Getting the page order right
Most merge mistakes are order mistakes. Before you start, decide what the reader should see first and add files in that order. It saves dragging pages across a long rail later.
Take a tenancy agreement bundle. A sensible order is the signed agreement, then the inventory list, then the tenant's IC copies, then the stamp duty certificate. Open the agreement first, add the other three in turn, and check the page numbers in the rail match the order you planned.
- Click a thumbnail to jump to that page and check it at full size.
- Duplicate a page if it needs to appear twice, for example a signature page that belongs with two sections.
- Delete page asks you to confirm first, and you can undo it with Undo in the top bar.
- Count the pages before you download. If the total is short, a file probably failed to add.
Adding photos, receipts and scans
Merge PDF only accepts PDF files. If some of your pages are photos, turn them into a PDF first with JPG to PDF. It takes JPG and PNG images, makes each image one page, and lets you choose Fit to image, A4 page or Letter page. Phone photos come out the right way up, because it reads the orientation the camera recorded.
For an expense claim, that means: photograph the receipts, put them into one PDF with JPG to PDF, then merge that PDF with your claim form. The finance team gets one tidy file instead of a form plus six loose pictures.
iPhones often save photos as HEIC, which JPG to PDF does not read. Export or share the photos as JPG first. You can also set the iPhone camera to Most Compatible in Settings, under Camera and Formats, so it saves JPG from the start.
If you only want a small image on an existing page, such as a stamp or a signature, you do not need a merge at all. Use the Image or Sign tool in the editor to place it on the page.
What merging keeps, and what it changes
Pages are copied into the new file as they are. Text stays selectable and searchable, images keep their original quality, and nothing is re-compressed. A merged file is roughly the size of its parts added together.
- Edits you made before adding the next file, such as rotations, typed text or a signature, are written into those pages at that moment.
- Bookmarks, the clickable outline some long PDFs have in the sidebar, are not carried into the merged file.
- Fillable form fields may not stay fillable. Fill in and save any forms before you merge them.
- A digitally signed PDF, the kind that shows a verified signature panel in Adobe Reader, will no longer show a valid signature after merging. Any tool that re-saves the file has the same effect. Send signed originals on their own.
When a file won't add
If a file can't be used, Kopitiam says why in a banner above the pages. For a file you are adding, the message starts with its name, so you know which one.
- Password-protected: Kopitiam can't open locked PDFs yet. Open the file with its password in your usual PDF reader, use Print and then Save as PDF to make an unlocked copy, and merge that copy instead.
- Editing restrictions: some PDFs open without a password but forbid changes. The same Print to PDF trick makes a copy you can merge.
- Not really a PDF: a file can end in .pdf without being one. Open it in the app that made it and export it as a PDF again.
- Damaged or incomplete: this often happens with an interrupted download or a mangled email attachment. Download it again.
Big files, phones and going offline
Kopitiam sets no file-size limit and no limit on how many files you merge. The real limit is your device's memory, because the whole document is held in the browser while you work. Ordinary documents are no trouble. A stack of high-resolution colour scans running to hundreds of megabytes can slow a laptop and may be too much for an older phone.
On a phone, merging works, but the page rail is hidden on narrow screens, so you can't drag pages into order there. Add the files in the order you want them. If something still needs moving, open the merged file in Organize PDF, which has Move left and Move right buttons on every page.
Once the page has loaded, the merge keeps working if your connection drops. That is handy on a patchy train connection.
When to use something else
Kopitiam suits everyday bundles: contracts, claims, applications and scanned forms. A desktop PDF app may suit you better if you need to keep bookmarks across a long merged report, combine dozens of files every day in one batch, or keep a digital signature valid.
If the merged file turns out too big to email, run it through Compress PDF next. Photos and scans are usually what make a bundle heavy.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I merge PDF files for free?
- Open Kopitiam's Merge PDF tool, choose your first PDF, then pick the next one when the file picker opens. Add more with the Merge button, drag pages into order and click Download. It is free, with no watermark and no sign-up.
- Can I select several PDFs at once?
- Not yet. The picker takes one PDF each time, and each file is added to the end of the document. Add them in the order you want, then drag any page that is out of place.
- Can I merge JPG photos with a PDF?
- Yes, in two steps. Turn the photos into a PDF with JPG to PDF, then add that PDF in Merge PDF like any other file. Each photo becomes its own page.
- Is there a limit to how many PDFs I can merge?
- Kopitiam sets no limit on file count or file size. The practical limit is your device's memory, so very large scan bundles may be slow, especially on older phones.
- Are my files uploaded when I merge them?
- No. The merge runs in your browser and the files stay on your device. It keeps working even if your connection drops after the page has loaded.
- Why won't my PDF add to the merge?
- Usually because it is password-protected or has editing restrictions. Open it in your PDF reader, use Print and then Save as PDF to make an unlocked copy, and add that copy instead.