How to Merge, Split, and Manage PDF Files Online (Free)

Merging PDF files online means combining two or more separate PDFs into one document, in the order you choose. With PixelTools' Merge PDF tool, you drag your files in, reorder them by dragging thumbnails, and download the combined file — no software to install and no account to create.

Common reasons to merge: combining scanned pages into one document, joining an invoice with a receipt before filing, or putting together chapters of a report submitted separately. The tool runs entirely in your browser using WebAssembly (pdf-lib compiled to run client-side), so your files never leave your device — nothing is uploaded to a server, which matters if the PDFs contain contracts, IDs, or financial statements.

There's no page limit or file-size cap imposed by a server queue, and no watermark added to the output. Once merged, you can immediately split, crop, or compress the result using the other tools below — all part of the same free workflow.

Splitting does the opposite of merging: it breaks one PDF into several smaller files. Use Split PDF when you need to extract a specific page range — pulling one chapter out of a book, separating a multi-document scan into individual files, or breaking a large report into sections for different recipients.

You choose split points by page number or range, and the tool generates a separate PDF for each segment, all processed locally in your browser. It's also the fastest way to isolate a single page you need to send on its own, without touching the original file.

Splitting and merging are often used together: split a large PDF into pieces, remove or reorder the ones you don't want, then merge the remaining files back into a cleaner, shorter document than you started with.

Scanned documents frequently come out sideways or upside down, especially when a multi-page batch is fed through a scanner or photographed at different angles. Rotate PDF fixes this by turning individual pages — or the whole document — 90, 180, or 270 degrees, without re-scanning anything.

You can rotate pages independently, which matters for mixed-orientation scans, like a landscape spreadsheet sitting between portrait pages. Preview each page before saving so you're not guessing at the correct angle.

This is a common step before merging: fix orientation on each source file first, then combine them into one consistently oriented document. Like the rest of the suite, rotation happens entirely client-side, so the fix takes seconds and doesn't require re-uploading a corrected version anywhere.

Not every page in a PDF earns its place — blank scanner pages, duplicate cover sheets, or an internal section you don't want to share. Delete PDF Pages shows thumbnails of every page and lets you remove the ones you don't need with a click, before downloading the cleaned-up file.

This is especially useful before merging multiple documents: strip out blank or irrelevant pages from each source file first, so the combined PDF doesn't carry over clutter. It's also the quickest fix when a scanned batch picks up an extra blank page between originals, which happens often with automatic document feeders.

Deletion doesn't disturb the rest of the file — remaining page content and order stay intact, and the process never touches a server.

Cropping trims the visible page area — useful for removing wide margins, cutting off dark borders left by a flatbed scanner, or standardizing page size when merging documents scanned on different equipment. Crop PDF lets you set a crop area visually and apply it to one page or the entire document.

This matters more than it sounds: PDFs merged from mismatched sources often have visibly different page sizes and margins, which looks unprofessional in a combined document. Cropping every source file to the same dimensions before merging produces a cleaner, more consistent result.

It's also useful for isolating just the content area of a page — removing letterhead, footer text, or scanner artifacts — before the page goes into a shared or printed document.

A PDF built from scanned images or embedded photos can get large fast, and most email providers cap attachments in the 20–25 MB range — well below what a multi-page scanned document can reach. Compress PDF reduces file size mainly by downsampling embedded images and stripping redundant data, while keeping text sharp and searchable.

Compression is usually the last step in a workflow — after you've merged, split, or cleaned up a document — right before sending or uploading it somewhere with a size limit. You can typically choose a compression level to balance size against image quality, since photo-heavy scanned PDFs compress differently than text-heavy ones.

Because everything runs in-browser, large files aren't queued through a server upload just to shrink them, which also makes compression faster on bigger documents.

If a PDF is locked with a password you already know — or you're the owner and have the right to remove the restriction — Unlock PDF removes password protection so the file can be edited, merged, or printed freely. Enter the current password, and the tool outputs an unprotected copy.

This comes up often with old archived documents, tax records, or bank statements that were password-protected years ago and now just get in the way of routine tasks, like merging several statements into one file for an accountant. It's not a password-cracking tool: you need to supply the correct password to unlock the file, which keeps it aligned with legitimate use.

Like the rest of the suite, unlocking happens client-side — the password and file contents are never transmitted anywhere.