Choose the operation by what should be in the final packet
Start with a list of the documents and pages your recipient needs. For example, a cover, a two-page summary and an appendix should become four pages even if the source report contains six. Merging the complete report first would include unwanted pages. Selecting the right operation avoids extra deletions and makes the result easier to verify.
| You need | Start with | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Every page from several PDFs | Merge PDF | One PDF, with each complete source placed after the previous one. |
| Some pages from one PDF | Split PDF: Selected pages in one PDF | One document containing your selection in the order entered. |
| A separate file for each page | Split PDF: One PDF per selected page (ZIP) | An archive containing individual one-page PDFs. |
| Selected pages from several sources | Split each source, then merge the extracted files | One packet containing only the requested material. |
Merge complete documents in the intended reading order
Open Merge PDF and add at least two PDFs. Use the move controls beside the filenames to place the introductory document first, followed by the supporting material. The order in the tool determines the output; filenames alone do not. Folio copies every page from each input and preserves its page dimensions and rotation, so landscape and portrait pages can share one document.
- Open the source files and note their page counts. Remove duplicate files or outdated versions from your selection.
- Add the PDFs to Merge PDF and arrange the file list in reading order.
- Choose Merge PDFs, then inspect the preview at each point where one source ends and another begins.
- Download the PDF and confirm its total page count equals the sum of the selected inputs.
Extract a range using file positions, not printed labels
In Split PDF, Pages accepts entries such as 1-3, 5, 8-10. Count from the first page in the file, even when that page has no printed number. With an unnumbered cover, printed page 1 may be file position 2. A selection of 6, 2-3 places page 6 first, then pages 2 and 3. Repeated page numbers appear only once. Leave Pages blank to select every page, and choose the ZIP output if you want each one as a separate file.
Practice: build and verify a four-page packet
Combine extraction and merging into one handoff. The selection tutorial explains range syntax, and the mixed-size guide explains geometry; this exercise checks the boundary between those two operations. This standalone workflow processes document contents in the browser. Opening its result in the editor starts a separate private cloud workspace.
- Extract 6, 2-3 from the six-page packet into one PDF.
- Merge that extract first, with the landscape appendix second.
- Download the combined result. Verify the four headings in order and confirm the last page retains its landscape dimensions.
| Check | Expected outcome |
|---|---|
| Finished output | Appendix, Summary, Budget, Landscape appendix. The final count is 3 + 1 = 4. |
| If your result differs | If six source pages appear, the full packet was merged instead of the extract. If the landscape page comes first, change file order in Merge PDF and recreate the result. |
Diagnose missing pages, unexpected order or a failed merge
Compare the result with your input list before repeating the operation. A merge includes all input pages; an extraction includes only the selected file positions. Neither operation decides whether a page belongs in your packet.
| Symptom | Check | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| The wrong pages were extracted | A cover or contents page shifts the printed numbering. | Find the page in the original preview and use its file position. |
| ZIP files appear in a different order | Your file manager may sort the one-page files by filename. | Use Selected pages in one PDF when reading order must stay inside one document. |
| The merged file is larger than expected | All pages and their embedded images were copied. | Extract only the needed pages first; merging is not compression. |
| A source cannot be opened | Check that it opens in a PDF reader and is not encrypted. | Use an unlocked copy you are permitted to edit, or request a usable original. |
Check document behavior as well as page appearance
Check the first page, last page and every join between sources. Also test any form fields or links your recipient needs. Copying pages can change interactive form behavior and invalidate certificate-based signatures, so keep signed originals separately. Extraction does not redact sensitive content left on a selected page. These standalone tools process document contents in your browser. Merge accepts up to 20 files, 50 MB each and 150 MB total; Split accepts one PDF up to 50 MB. Continuing in the main editor uploads the result for private cloud saving.