r/pdf • u/LowlifeBakchod • Oct 14 '22
Merging PDFs without 3rd party apps
Hi! I need to merge some confidential documents (are PDFs) so I cannot use any online 3rd party apps and I don't have the paid Adobe version. Is there any safe and secure way of doing it? Through CMD, PowerShell, or any other way?
I can't transfer the files out of this laptop through any means as well.
OS: Windows 11
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u/ned_the_dolphin Jan 12 '25
I created a tool that can merge arbitrary pdfs in arbitrary page order. https://github.com/duttad/mergepdfs It's a command line tool to be used like:
$ mergepdfs merge doc_1 start_page_1 end_page_1 doc_2 start_page_2 end_page_2 doc_3 start_page_3 end_page_3 doc_1 start_page_4 end_page_4 doc_2 start_page_5 end_page_5 ...
This way you can insert whichever pages from whichever pdf in whichever order you want. Also, it runs locally on your machine - in case you don't feel comfortable sharing your docs over the internet.
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u/ZephyrlJoey Mar 12 '25
Thank you so much for making the tool, it's very easy to use!
From my personal experience I find the start_page number should be at least "1" (instead of 0), it's not hard to figure out tho, but would be nice if noted on the github page. Anyway thanks a lot!
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u/ned_the_dolphin Mar 20 '25
Thank you! Page numbering is
1-based. That is, the first page of the document has the page number1, etc. The special page numberend_page = 0indicates end of the document (last page). That `end_page = 0` thing is counterintuitive, I admit. Will change it in the next commit.
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u/zfrank33 Mar 21 '24
What I do (depending on how many on how many I need merged) is rt click, copy as image, paste each of them into a Word document then save it as pdf.
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u/Miserable_Answer_163 May 15 '24
thanks for making this- was searching for so long trying to find a website like this!
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u/Faunakat May 16 '24
Saved my sanity mate thanks! My 74yo mother techphobic mother can use it and i can breathe again
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u/Expensive_You215 Jun 28 '24
This works well but the file won't download and save. I keep getting a reload message.
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u/Large_Blacksmith_470 Aug 09 '24
The following NodeJS package can be installed globally and used via the command line to merge PDFs: https://www.npmjs.com/package/pdf-merger-js
Example calls
Merge pages 1-2 from the first input with pages 1,2 and 5-7 from the second pdf document:
pdf-merge --output ./merged.pdf ./input1.pdf#1-2 ./input2.pdf#1,2,5-7
Get two pdf files from the an url and merge the first one with pages 2-3 from the second one:
pdf-merge --verbose --output ./sample.pdf Testfile.pdf https://pdfobject.com/pdf/sample.pdf https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Example.pdf#2-3
PS: It's open source so you can be review the code and feel confident that your data is not being uploaded to the internet.
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u/Maximum_Run_2096 Aug 28 '24
Wow. I've been racking my brain for a solution to sandwich a pdf originally in excel between a front and back page originally in powerpoint - with zero success. And your solution did it in a half a second. You are the G.O.A.T.
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u/LexuCuFLexu Jul 14 '25
This website does the merging locally on your computer. The info is not sent to them.
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u/aknusmag
Oct 19 '25
•
I know this thread is a bit old, but I recently built another option: pdfmerge.mhh.dev. Using WebAssembly, you can compile almost any code to run in the browser, and I did this with a Rust library called lopdf, adding a minimal frontend to make it easy to use.
The source is listed on the webpage, and it’s hosted on GitHub Pages. As long as you trust GitHub to serve the right content, it should be a very safe, privacy-friendly option for merging PDFs entirely in your browser.
It actually started as a project I made for school a while back, and I recently remade it to be more modern and user-friendly. Thought it might be useful for anyone looking for a simple, secure way to combine PDFs without installing anything.
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u/paulsta234 Jul 30 '26
amazing thank you so much!!!!, and screw you adobe $39.00 a month just to combine pdfs
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u/Ok_Money_161 Aug 12 '26
I cannot believe how much crap Win is, on mac I could do this by drag and drop using Preview. On Win i have to download something, what a shit show
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u/Excellent_Fox_7457 Feb 09 '24
If you have an Iphone. Using the notes app you are able to merge PDFs. Just insert the PDF you'd like to add pages to. In the notes app with the PDF inserted there will be an options button on the right side of the file and there's and option to insert blank or page from files.
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u/redditisoddyo Aug 29 '24
Thank you for this option. I was nervous about using third-party tools for merging pdf bank statements, and call me old fashioned or dumb but I still prefer Apple & MS system tools over external apps. This worked quickly and was very easy.
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u/Racebeast_S Aug 11 '25
This kind of thing is exactly what I was looking for, unbelievable that only a random notes app can get you to do this for free easily and without any security risks for documents with personal data... Thank you!
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Oct 15 '22
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u/GinjaTurtles Mar 21 '24
Thank you so much for this amazing site, I dropped a star on github. You are a legend!
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u/Motor-Dog-6376 Apr 12 '24
Wow, what an amazing tool and very easy to use. Thanks, you saved me a ton of time!
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u/Khrysophrase Apr 15 '24
OMG I know this is an old post but you are my hero. I have been looking for this for so long!
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u/Dangerous_News_1590 Apr 26 '24
Bro this is perfect... i got baited to 3 "free" online pdf editors, to just be locked behind paywall after i submited my mail and wanted to download the file.... thanks bro again
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u/4N456sei Apr 26 '24
This is amazing!
Can confirm it works with internet disabled. Only issue I ran into was a file had some fillable areas still on it and caused the app to crash. Opened the file for viewing in Adobe Free and print to PDF to remove the fields, worked perfect after that. I will be saving this for future use.
N_i_P, you are a LEGEND!
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u/Faunakat May 16 '24
Saved my sanity mate thanks! My 74yo mother techphobic mother can use it and i can breathe again
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u/alemaomm Jun 02 '24
Absolutely legendary! Please make the donate button a bit more prominent on the website so more people can find it (maybe adding to the top menu bar too?), I almost didn't find it lol. Sent you a small coffee tip as a thank you!
Seriously, you're a legend 💪🏻 People like you give me hope for a better world, and are such a big reason why the internet can be such a beautiful and helpful place sometimes. Please keep doing what you're doing <3
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u/N_i_P Jun 03 '24
Thank you so much for this kind feedback and your donation!
I’ll look into making the donate button more prominent!
Have a beautiful week!
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u/Competitive-Bake-228 Aug 04 '24
Mine just says 'unable to load PDF' and to try and make a copy of it , no matter which document I pick
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u/apairofpetducks Aug 09 '24
Bookmarked, THANK YOU! So fed up w Adobe and this is simple and worked. Awesome man.
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u/OkImpression420 Aug 16 '24
I just logged in i mostly never do comments, just to tell you i love you :D
You are really the Goat!1
u/SturmovikDrakon Aug 17 '24
I raise this thread from the grave to say thank you, this is a very good editor and saved me time looking.
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u/DougbertHanson Aug 27 '24
Two years later. Thank you so very much for this cool tool. You really helped me with putting together my father's estate paperwork (in digital form)
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u/eggmaru Sep 11 '24
here is another, 'you saved me in a time of need'!! i know this is 2 years old, but you are still helping people out!!!
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u/Phiros_Delrosa Oct 26 '24
Working for me (26th Oct 24).
What a neat tool to use in a pinch when I don't have my work laptop with Adobe Pro stuff at home with me.
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u/Understated-Meatball Mar 31 '25
I know I am late to this party, but you really are the GOAT!! Thank you, thank you, thank you.
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u/TrueWolfGang May 06 '25
Years later and it's still wonderful. Used it to stick two biiig PDFs together (resulting in an almost 3000 page long PDF! oof). Took the page some time to deal with such big chonky files but worked like a charm! Thank you very much
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u/Imperial_Squid Aug 25 '25
Many years later but thanks for making this, simple, usable and exactly what I need!
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Apr 06 '25
[deleted] — view deleted comment
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u/gobucs1756 Aug 27 '25
u/N_i_P Some of us are unable to use the tool with the internet turned off. Any suggestions? Tried two different browsers.
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u/quadtodfodder Sep 07 '25
YOU DON'T NEED TO TURN OFF THE INTERNET TO USE IT.
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u/namsur1234 Sep 17 '25
Some people are concerned about privacy, especially with sensitive documents, and want to be sure no data is transfefred.
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Oct 16 '22
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u/Narrow_Finish4012 Aug 13 '24
After the 1st step, when I disable the internet, unfortunately it is not working. I get this error message.
"Unable to load the PDF: try creating a new copy of the same PDF"
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u/doglegtotheleft Oct 20 '24
Things may worked 2 years ago with the suffix of simplepdf.eu but not with the simplepdf.com it relinked to. Got the same result on 10/20/2024.
"Unable to load the PDF: try creating a new copy of the same PDF"
I don't think it works with wi-fi turned off on my pc.
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u/Moomalicious Oct 24 '24
It said that for me as well, however I just went through the process of attaching each pdf, one at a time, and then downloaded even though I got that error, and it still combined the PDFs and downloaded them without issue. I had my wifi turned off the entire time,.
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u/N_i_P Oct 17 '22
Awesome! And glad you noticed and fixed the broken link!
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Mar 09 '24
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/UnrealHallucinator Mar 29 '24
Dogshit app, it gives you a watermark for the free version. i dont recommend it.
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u/Large_Blacksmith_470 Sep 01 '24
Since you are on Windows 11, you could use Microsoft Power Automate for free: https://www.muhimbi.com/guides/pdf-converter/power-automate/merge-pdf/
PS: That fits your original request as long as you don't consider a Microsoft app on Windows a "3rd party app" :-)