How to Combine Scanned Documents Into One PDF

You've scanned a stack of documents — or snapped photos with your phone — and now you have dozens of separate files that need to become one organized PDF. This is one of the most common document management tasks, and it's easier than you think.

Two Approaches Based on Your Starting Files

If You Have Separate PDF Scans

If your scanner produced individual PDF files for each page, use PDFably's Merge PDF tool to combine them into a single document. Upload all your scanned PDFs, drag them into the correct order, and merge them into one file.

1. Open the Merge PDF tool
2. Upload all your scanned PDF pages
3. Drag to reorder or click A→Z if your files are numbered sequentially
4. Click Merge to create your combined document

If You Have Photos (JPG/PNG)

If you used your phone camera or have image files, use PDFably's JPG to PDF converter to turn them into a single PDF document.

1. Open the JPG to PDF tool
2. Upload all your photos or scanned images
3. Arrange them in the correct page order
4. Click Convert to generate your PDF

Tips for Better Scans

Use consistent lighting. If photographing documents with your phone, use natural daylight or a well-lit desk. Avoid shadows from your hand or phone falling across the document.

Keep it straight. Align your camera directly above the document, parallel to the surface. Angled shots create perspective distortion that makes the document harder to read.

Name files logically. Before combining, rename your files with sequential numbers: 01-cover.jpg, 02-page1.jpg, 03-page2.jpg. This makes the A→Z sort feature in PDFably automatically put them in the right order.

Check orientation. Phone cameras sometimes save photos in unexpected orientations. If any pages end up sideways in your final PDF, use PDFably's Rotate tool to fix them.

After Combining: Optimize Your Document

Scanned documents tend to be large because they contain full-page images. After combining, consider these next steps:

• Compress your PDF to reduce file size — especially important if you need to email it or upload it to a form with size limits
• Remove any blank pages that were accidentally included in the scan batch
• Add a password if the scanned documents contain sensitive information

Common Use Cases

Tax preparation: Combine W-2s, 1099s, receipts, and other tax documents into a single PDF for your accountant or for uploading to tax software.

Insurance claims: Merge photos of damage, repair estimates, police reports, and medical bills into one comprehensive claim document.

Real estate transactions: Combine property photos, inspection reports, disclosure forms, and contract pages into a single organized package.

Medical records: Consolidate prescriptions, test results, referral letters, and insurance cards into one file for a new doctor's office. Since these are sensitive documents, PDFably's browser-based processing means nothing gets uploaded to any server.