PDF Merge & Split
Combine multiple PDF files into one or split PDFs into separate documents.
Overview
This skill helps you:
- Merge multiple PDFs into a single file
- Split PDFs by page ranges
- Extract specific pages
- Reorder pages within a PDF
- Create custom arrangements
How to Use
Merge PDFs
"Merge these 3 PDFs into one file" "Combine document1.pdf and document2.pdf" "Join all PDFs in this folder in alphabetical order"
Split PDF
"Split this PDF into individual pages" "Extract pages 5-10 from this PDF" "Split this PDF every 5 pages"
Reorder
"Move page 3 to the end" "Reorder pages: 1, 3, 2, 4, 5" "Reverse the page order"
Merge Operations
Basic Merge
markdown## PDF Merge Plan ### Input Files | Order | File | Pages | Size | |-------|------|-------|------| | 1 | cover.pdf | 1 | 50 KB | | 2 | chapter1.pdf | 15 | 2.1 MB | | 3 | chapter2.pdf | 22 | 3.4 MB | | 4 | appendix.pdf | 8 | 1.2 MB | ### Output - **Filename**: combined_document.pdf - **Total Pages**: 46 - **Estimated Size**: ~6.7 MB ### Merge Options - [ ] Add bookmarks for each source file - [ ] Preserve original bookmarks - [ ] Include blank page between files - [ ] Optimize/compress output
Advanced Merge
markdown## Advanced PDF Merge ### Custom Page Selection | Source | Pages to Include | Insert Position | |--------|------------------|-----------------| | main.pdf | 1-10 | 1-10 | | insert.pdf | All (5 pages) | After page 10 | | main.pdf | 11-20 | 16-25 | | appendix.pdf | 2-4 only | 26-28 | ### Output Configuration - **Filename**: custom_merged.pdf - **Page numbering**: Reset to 1 / Continue from original - **Bookmarks**: Create from filenames / Preserve all ### Quality Settings - Resolution: Original / Reduce to [X] DPI - Compression: None / Low / Medium / High
Split Operations
Split by Range
markdown## PDF Split Plan ### Source - **File**: large_document.pdf - **Total Pages**: 100 ### Split Configuration | Output File | Page Range | Pages | |-------------|------------|-------| | part1.pdf | 1-25 | 25 | | part2.pdf | 26-50 | 25 | | part3.pdf | 51-75 | 25 | | part4.pdf | 76-100 | 25 | ### Naming Pattern `[original_name]_part[N].pdf`
Split by Size
markdown## Split by File Size ### Source - **File**: huge_report.pdf - **Total Pages**: 500 - **File Size**: 250 MB ### Target - **Max file size**: 25 MB - **Estimated splits**: ~10 files ### Output | File | Pages | Actual Size | |------|-------|-------------| | report_001.pdf | 1-52 | 24.8 MB | | report_002.pdf | 53-98 | 23.2 MB | | ... | ... | ... |
Split by Bookmark
markdown## Split by Bookmarks/Chapters ### Source Structure - large_manual.pdf - Chapter 1: Introduction (p.1) - Chapter 2: Setup (p.15) - Chapter 3: Usage (p.45) - Chapter 4: Advanced (p.120) - Appendix (p.180) ### Split Output | File | Chapter | Pages | |------|---------|-------| | ch1_introduction.pdf | Introduction | 1-14 | | ch2_setup.pdf | Setup | 15-44 | | ch3_usage.pdf | Usage | 45-119 | | ch4_advanced.pdf | Advanced | 120-179 | | appendix.pdf | Appendix | 180-end |
Extract Specific Pages
markdown## Page Extraction ### Source - **File**: contract.pdf (20 pages) ### Pages to Extract - [x] Page 1 (Cover) - [x] Pages 5-7 (Terms) - [x] Page 15 (Signatures) - [x] Page 20 (Appendix A) ### Output - **File**: contract_key_pages.pdf - **Pages**: 6 total (1, 5, 6, 7, 15, 20)
Page Operations
Reorder Pages
markdown## Page Reorder Plan ### Current Order 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ### New Order 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 6, 8, 7, 9, 10 ### Changes - Page 3 ↔ Page 4 (swapped) - Page 7 ↔ Page 8 (swapped)
Delete Pages
markdown## Page Deletion ### Source - document.pdf (25 pages) ### Pages to Remove - Page 3 (blank page) - Pages 12-14 (outdated section) - Page 25 (draft watermark) ### Result - New page count: 20 - Output: document_cleaned.pdf
Insert Pages
markdown## Page Insertion ### Base Document - main.pdf (10 pages) ### Insertions | Insert | After Page | From | |--------|------------|------| | Cover page | 0 (beginning) | cover.pdf | | Diagram | 5 | diagrams.pdf (page 2) | | Appendix | 10 (end) | appendix.pdf | ### Result - New page count: 14
Rotate Pages
markdown## Page Rotation ### File: scanned_doc.pdf ### Rotations Needed | Page(s) | Current | Rotation | New | |---------|---------|----------|-----| | 3 | Portrait | 90° CW | Landscape | | 7-9 | Upside down | 180° | Correct | | 15 | Landscape | 90° CCW | Portrait |
Batch Processing
Batch Merge
markdown## Batch Merge Job ### Task: Merge PDFs by Project ### Folder Structure
/reports/ /project-a/ report1.pdf report2.pdf /project-b/ summary.pdf details.pdf
### Output | Merged File | Sources | |-------------|---------| | project-a_combined.pdf | report1.pdf, report2.pdf | | project-b_combined.pdf | summary.pdf, details.pdf |
Batch Split
markdown## Batch Split Job ### Input - /monthly_reports/ (12 files, each ~50 pages) ### Operation - Split each file into 5-page chunks ### Output - /monthly_reports_split/ - jan_001.pdf, jan_002.pdf, ... - feb_001.pdf, feb_002.pdf, ... - ...
Tool Recommendations
Free Tools
- PDF24: Web and desktop, full featured
- ILovePDF: Web-based, easy to use
- PDFsam Basic: Desktop, open source
- Preview (Mac): Built-in, drag and drop
Professional
- Adobe Acrobat Pro: Industry standard
- Foxit PDF Editor: Full featured
- Nitro Pro: Good for business
Command Line
- pdftk: Classic, powerful
- qpdf: Fast, scriptable
- pdfcpu: Modern Go-based tool
Limitations
- Cannot perform actual file operations (provides guidance)
- Password-protected PDFs need password first
- Very large files may need chunked processing
- Some PDFs with restrictions cannot be modified
- Merging different page sizes may cause issues
