How to Merge PDF Files on Windows 10 and 11 (Without Software)
If you've looked for a "merge" button in Windows and couldn't find one, you're not missing anything: Windows 10 and 11 don't include a tool for combining PDF files. Microsoft Edge can open, annotate and sign PDFs, and "Microsoft Print to PDF" can create a PDF from a single document, but neither can join several PDFs together.
Here's the easiest free way to do it, without installing software.
Merge PDFs in your browser
- Open pdf-m.com in Edge, Chrome or Firefox.
- Click Choose PDF files. In the window that opens, hold Ctrl and click each PDF, then click Open. You can also drag files straight from File Explorer onto the page.
- Drag the files into the order you need.
- Type a name for the new file, then click Merge PDFs.
- Click Download PDF. The file goes to your Downloads folder.
This works on locked-down work laptops too, because there's nothing to install. Your files are combined on your own PC and are never uploaded, which matters for anything confidential.
Tips
- Select a range quickly: in the file picker, click the first file, hold Shift and click the last to select everything in between.
- Files in different folders: add the first batch, then click + Add more to add files from another folder.
- Change where downloads go: in Edge, open Settings › Downloads and turn on "Ask me what to do with each download" to choose a folder each time.
What about Word documents or images?
PDF-M combines PDF files. To include a Word document, first open it in Word and choose File › Save As › PDF. For images, open them in the Photos app, choose Print, and select Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer. Then merge the resulting PDFs.