Combine or Split Existing PDF Documents

Environment

Adobe Acrobat

Issue

How to combine multiple PDFs or split a single larger PDF into smaller individual PDFs.

Resolution

Combine multiple documents into one PDF

Combine files within Acrobat

  1. Open Acrobat.
  2. Choose File > Create > Combine Multiple Files into a single PDF.
    1. If the file is already open, then choose the Combine Files icon from the menu on the right. 
  3. Click Add Files or Add Open Files, or drag files into the Add Files window. 
  4. Click Combine to merge all of the files into one PDF.

Combine files from your desktop

  1. Shift-click all the required documents on your desktop.
    • On a PC, right-click and choose Combine Files in Acrobat.
    • On a Mac, Ctrl-click and choose Quick Actions > Create PDF.

Arrange merged PDF documents before combining

  • You can expand multi-page documents to reorder or delete individual pages by clicking the Expand icon that appears at the top right of the file thumbnail when you hover your cursor over it.
  • When you click the Expand icon, thumbnails of each page in the file let you review which pages will be added to the combined PDF. 

Split a PDF document

  1. Open a PDF document.
    1. Choose Tools > Organize Pages.
  2. Click the Split button.
  3. Use the Split by menu to filter by the number of pages, file size, or top-level bookmarks.
  4. Click Output Options for controls to split your document.
    1. You can set the number of pages for batch processing, file size parameters, the bookmark structure, and more.
  5. Set your Target Folder options that allow you to target the same folder or another folder on your computer. 
  6. Set your File Labeling options to use bookmarks as file names, or add custom labels or separators before, after, or between the original file names.
  7. Click OK.

Additional Information

For full information and screenshots, see: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/how-to/combine-merge-split-extract-pdf-files.html.

Need additional information or assistance? Contact the ITS Service Center.