Merging and splitting: how to avoid the classic mistakes

Merging and splitting are the two most common PDF jobs, and the two where people lose work. Three rules cover almost every case.

1. Merge order is upload order

Our merge follows the order you select the files — not alphabetical, not by date. Rename the files with a numeric prefix (01-contract.pdf, 02-appendix.pdf) before uploading if you want to be certain, and check the file list shows them in the order you expect.

2. Splitting gives you pages, not sections

Page splitting cuts at every page boundary. If you wanted three sections out of a twelve-page file, you will get twelve files and then need to merge groups back together. Do it in two passes: split, then merge the ranges you actually wanted.

3. Watch the file size after merging

Merging does not recompress anything, so the result is roughly the sum of the inputs. If the merged file is too large for email, merge first and compress the result — compressing each file separately and then merging gives you a larger total, because each pass has already thrown away detail independently.

What about bookmarks and form fields

Bookmarks from the source documents are preserved by the merge. Interactive form fields are also carried over, but if two documents use the same field names, one set can shadow the other — flatten filled forms to plain pages before merging if that matters.

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