Merge, reorder and split PDFs for an application
Applications ask for documents in a set order, sometimes as one file and sometimes page by page. How to combine scans into one PDF, put pages in the right order, remove blanks, turn sideways pages and pull out only the pages a form wants.
A loan file, a visa application, a scholarship or a court filing all ask for the same kind of thing: several documents, in a particular order, sometimes as one PDF and sometimes separately. The documents arrive from different places: a scan here, a DigiLocker PDF there, a photo of a page from a phone.
This guide covers the handful of jobs that turn that pile into what the form asks for.
Decide what the form wants first
Read the upload instructions and answer three questions:
- One file or several? "Upload all documents as a single PDF" and "upload each document separately" need different preparation.
- What order? Many forms and checklists list documents in order. Follow it exactly: the person checking your file reads it in that order.
- What size limit? If there is one, fix the order first and the size last. Compressing and then rearranging means doing it twice.
Combine several PDFs into one
Add the PDFs, drag them into order, and merge. Every page is copied exactly, so text stays text and quality doesn't change.
Merge PDFs in the order you chooseCombine several PDFs into one in the order you chooseThings to know:
- A filled form keeps what you typed. If a PDF has fillable fields, the values are printed onto the page as part of the merge, so nothing goes missing. They stop being editable, which is what you want in a file you are submitting.
- A password-protected PDF cannot be merged. Unlock it first, then merge the unlocked copy; merging a locked file would produce blank pages.
- Bookmarks are not carried into the merged file; the pages themselves are.
- There is no limit on the number of files or pages. The merge runs on your own device.
Put pages in order, rotate them, delete blanks
A scan stack often has a blank back page, a page upside down, or pages in the wrong order. Organising shows every page as a thumbnail, so you can:
- drag pages into the right order,
- rotate a sideways page,
- delete blank or duplicate pages,
- add pages from a second PDF (pages are labelled A and B so you can tell them apart).
If the only problem is pages scanned sideways, rotating is quicker. Tap the pages to turn, and the rotation is saved into the file, so it opens the right way everywhere.
Rotate some or all pagesRotate every page or specific pages of a PDF by 90, 180 or 270 degrees and saveTake out only the pages you need
Forms often want a single page from a larger document: the marks page from a mark sheet, the address page from an agreement, the first page of a bank statement.
Tap the pages you want, in the order you want them, and a new PDF is made with just those. The original file isn't changed.
Pick pages into a new PDFPull selected pages out of a PDF into a new file, in any orderBreak one PDF into several
If a form wants documents separately, but you have them all in one scan:
- By ranges: for example
1-2, 3-5, 6. The first two pages become one file, pages 3 to 5 another, and page 6 a third. - Every N pages: useful when each document is the same length.
- One file per page.
- By file size: for portals with a size limit per upload.
Your browser may ask to allow multiple downloads when several files are saved at once. Choose Allow once.
Number the pages of a bundle
Court filings, legal bundles and long annexures often need page numbers across several files. The numbers are added as real text, and you can leave the cover page unnumbered.
Add page numbers across filesStamp page numbers ("Page 1 of 20", "1", "- 1 -") on a PDF at any position and font size, across one or many filesName files so nobody has to guess
A checker opening scan0012.pdf has to open it to know what it is. Name each file after what it is, and in order if order matters:
01-application-form.pdf02-identity-proof.pdf03-address-proof.pdf04-income-certificate.pdf
Order of work
- Collect every document.
- Rotate and organise: right way up, right order, no blanks.
- Merge, or split, into what the form wants.
- Name the files.
- Compress last, only if a size limit requires it.
Every step here runs on your own device. Documents are never uploaded.