How to merge a contract and its PDF attachments in the right order

List the required reading order first

A contract package may include the main agreement, a quotation, amendments and supporting documents. Before processing, list the order required by the recipient and decide which files must remain separate. Merging changes the delivery format; it does not decide whether a document belongs in the agreement.

Use temporary names such as 01-agreement, 02-quotation and 03-supporting-notes. Names help with sorting, but open each file and check its content. Keep the untouched originals and work on copies.

Check orientation, page count and form fields

Open every PDF, record its page count and check for missing, sideways or upside-down pages. Rotate a file before merging if its orientation is wrong. If pages inside one document are out of order, correct that file first with the reorder tool.

Flatten fillable form fields before merging. The merge tool does not verify digital signatures and cannot repair encrypted, damaged or unsupported files. Keep digitally signed originals separately and follow the recipient's requirements for processed copies.

Merge the PDFs in reading order

For a small task that does not require an account, use the free merge tool. File contents are processed in the browser. Select two to five ordinary PDFs, arrange them in order, process them and download the result before leaving the page. The free task limit is 20 MB and 50 pages in total; closing the page clears the session.

Use the signed-in workspace when you need more files, more pages or a continuing workflow. The current workspace accepts up to ten PDFs per merge, 20 MB and 100 pages per input file, and 200 input pages in total. Review the displayed files, page count and credit estimate before submitting.

Do not stop after checking the first page

Open the downloaded result and review it from first page to last. Confirm that the total equals the sum of the source page counts, locate the start and end of each attachment, and look for blank, repeated, missing or rotated pages. Check amounts, dates, signature areas, stamps and table edges carefully.

Merging does not automatically compress, watermark or number the file. For continuous numbering across the whole package, add page numbers after merging. If each attachment needs independent numbering, keep the files separate and number them individually.

Correct an ordering mistake

If whole attachments are misplaced, starting again from the source PDFs and merging them in the correct order is usually clearest. If individual pages are misplaced inside the merged result, use the reorder tool and enter a complete new page order. Include every page exactly once.

Reordering creates a new file and does not modify the original. Rebuilt results may not retain bookmarks or original page labels, so review the final document again. For long-term records, keep the originals, processing notes and final delivery copy.

Common questions

Will merging make the file smaller? Not necessarily. Merging organizes the files; it is not compression. Use a separate compression step when size matters, and inspect the resulting quality.

Can an encrypted PDF be merged with ordinary attachments? The tools are intended for supported ordinary PDFs. Encrypted, signed or damaged files may be rejected. Do not attempt to bypass file permissions.

How do I number the whole package continuously? Merge it in reading order, then add page numbers to the merged result. Keep an original copy and check that numbers do not cover content or signature areas.