How to Merge, Split and Compress PDF Files Online for Free

PDFs are the universal format for documents, but editing and managing them used to require expensive desktop software. Today, a full suite of PDF tools is available in your browser — completely free. Here is everything you can do and the best tools to do it with.

Merge PDF files

Combining multiple PDFs into one is the most common PDF task. Both iLovePDF and Smallpdf handle this in three clicks:

1. Open the Merge tool on your chosen platform.
2. Upload two or more PDF files (drag and drop is supported).
3. Reorder them if needed, then click Merge PDF.
4. Download the combined file immediately.

Both tools process files on secure servers and delete them automatically after an hour.

Split PDF files

Splitting extracts specific pages from a PDF or divides it into individual pages. This is useful when you receive a multi-chapter document and want to share only one chapter, or when you need to separate student work submitted as a single file.

• Split by page range: "pages 1–5" and "pages 6–20" become two separate files.
• Extract single pages: pull out just page 7 as a standalone PDF.
• Split every page: turn a 30-page document into 30 individual PDFs.

Compress PDF files

Large PDFs are awkward to email and slow to open. iLovePDF's compressor reduced a 15 MB scanned document to 2.3 MB in our tests while keeping text crisp. Smallpdf offers three compression levels (basic, strong, extreme) so you can balance file size against quality.

Compression is especially useful before uploading PDFs to a flipbook tool, VLE or email attachment.

Convert PDF to and from other formats

Other useful PDF tools

• Rotate pages — fix scans uploaded upside-down.
• Add page numbers — stamp page numbers in a chosen position and font.
• Add a watermark — overlay text or an image on every page.
• Protect with a password — encrypt the PDF so it requires a password to open.
• Sign a PDF — draw, type or upload a signature; no printing required.
• Unlock a password-protected PDF — remove the password if you know it and need to edit the file.

Privacy considerations

Both iLovePDF and Smallpdf use HTTPS encryption during transfer and delete your files from their servers within one hour. For highly sensitive documents (financial records, medical data), consider using a local PDF tool instead of uploading to a third-party server.

When to use each tool

• iLovePDF — best all-around free option with the most tools and generous daily limits.
• Smallpdf — cleaner interface and excellent compression; limited to two tasks per day on the free plan.
• pdfFiller — best for filling in forms and signing documents online.