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Best Solutions to Use If You are Unable to Combine PDF Files

  author
Published By Mohit Jha
Nimisha Ramesh
Approved By Nimisha Ramesh
Published On October 16th, 2023
Reading Time 6 Minutes Reading

The advancement in technology has also changed the way we share documents. Even though many people share documents through Microsoft Word, PDFs are the preferred format for document sharing. PDFs have many features that help you share your files without worries. And combining two or more PDFs is one such feature. Now many people complain that they are unable to combine PDF files.

If you are among the people looking for solutions to this problem, your search ends here! This blog discusses the reasons and the solutions you can use to combine PDFs comfortably.

Reasons For PDF Files Not Getting Combined

The following points discuss the reasons for the PDF files not getting combined:

  • Exceeding File Size – If the size of the PDF files you want to combine exceeds the 2GB file limit, you can’t merge them. In short, you can’t combine PDF files unless their combined size is less than 2GB
  • PDF files are user-protected – PDFs can get locked using a password to protect them from tampering. But this password protection also makes you unable to combine PDF files. PDFs can’t get merged if they have a password.
  • Files are Damaged – If the PDF files get damaged for any reason, they won’t get combined into a single file.
  • Compatibility Issues – If the PDF files are not compatible, again for any reason, the result is the same – they can’t get combined.

Now let’s read the solutions you can use to combine the PDF files.

Unable to Combine PDF Files – Best Methods

There are 3 methods to combine PDF files that we have discussed here. So go through the methods explained and use them. 

1: Using Manual Techniques to Join PDF Files Together (Online Free Tool)

The manual method to combine PDF files involves using the online version of Adobe Acrobat, the family of software and web service founded by the creator of the PDF format, Adobe. We will use the web version because the app is expensive to buy, and the web version can combine PDF files for free.

Here are the steps to combine the PDF files:

  1. Search Adobe Merge PDF online on your web browser and open the Adobe website.
  2. Click Select Files to add the PDF files. 
  3. Click Merge to merge the selected PDF files.
  4. Click Download to download the new combined file.

These steps solve the “unable to combine PDF files” issue comfortably. Now you may ask about the need for the automated method when this manual method is apt for combining PDF files.

The reasons mentioned in the beginning limit the usage of this method, hence necessitating the need for the automated method.

2: Joining PDF files Via Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (Offline Tool)

In case a person has to work with PDF files, in that case, they can use an offline application provided by Adobe Acrobat (which requires a Subscription to use). With the help of this offline application, one can merge two different PDF files or can perform other functions easily.

  1. Users just need to download the tool and purchase the subscription then use the tool option and
  2. Select “Combine Files“. Add the required files.
  3. If needed, arrange and remove content. Once you are done with arranging hit the Combine Files“.
  4. Finally, give a name to a new PDF created and save it on your system.

For Multiple files use these steps and consolidate your Adobe digital documents.

Use Instant Offline Solution If You Are Unable to Combine PDF Files

Since the manual method for combining PDFs has limitations restricting its usage, an automated tool is the best solution. Here, we will discuss one tool perfect for combining PDF files PDF File Merge Software. Yes, you can use this tool even for splitting larger PDF files into smaller ones according to size, page range, and odd and even pages.

Apart from that, the same utility can also be used to merge or split the restricted PDF files. The tool ensures that the format and properties of the files remain as it is and no data is lost during the process.

Here are the features of the tool (Merge PDF):

  1. Merge PDF files by Page Range.
  2. Merge the PDF files into existing or new PDF files.
  3. Merge unlimited PDF files and don’t have any size restrictions. 
  4. Facility to skip attachments from the merged PDF files.
  5. Merge/Split password-protected PDF files.

Read More: Quick Guide to Unlock A PDF for Editing Without Password

Let’s See the Steps to Use the Offline Effective Tool

  • Install the tool, launch it and select the Merge option.

unable to combine PDF files

  • Click Add File(s) to add the PDF files or Add Folder to add the folder having the PDF files.
  • Check the Skip Attachment box to exclude attachments from the merged PDF file and click Next.

insert PDF files

  • The tool has two options for combining PDF files: Split Merged PDF by Size (split the merged PDF file according to the desired size) and Merge PDF by Page Range (merge the PDF files by selecting the page range of each PDF file). 

use the merge option

  • Select the Create a New PDF or  Merge in an Existing PDF option. Select the desired option, click Browse to select the destination (in the case of Merge in Existing PDF, click Browse to select the existing PDF file) and click Merge to start the file merging process and resolve the issue of “unable to combine PDF files”. 

unable to combine PDF files

  • The tool will now merge the selected PDF files into a single PDF file. Click Save to save the export report in CSV file format. Go to the destination folder to access the merged PDF files.

save the file

Using the software to combine PDF files is easy since you can merge the PDF files in a few minutes without any issues. Also, this tool gives you the facility to split larger PDF files into smaller ones. So, this tool serves two objectives in a single interface.

Also Read: Use Free Software to Split PDF Files In an Effective Manner

Conclusion

Technological advancement has changed the way we share documents. PDFs are the preferred medium for document sharing since they are secure, consistent and compact. We discussed some methods to solve the “unable to combine PDF files”. The manual method to combine PDF files involves using the web version of Adobe Acrobat because the app is expensive to buy, and the web version can combine PDF files for free. Though we have mentioned if a user has the Pro version of Adobe Acrobat.  The reasons mentioned in the beginning limit the usage of this method, hence necessitating the need for the automated method.

On the contrary, the automated method involves using the tool mentioned here to combine many PDF files into a single one. What makes this tool further useful is that you can use it to split larger PDF files into small sizes.