Combine PDFs on Windows: built-in methods and PDFrust
1 min read·25 July 2026
Windows doesn't have a built-in PDF merge feature like Mac does. But there are free ways to combine PDFs on Windows 10 and 11, without Adobe and without installation.
Method 1: Microsoft Edge PDF viewer
Open the first PDF in Edge, go to Print (Ctrl+P), choose "Print to PDF". Repeat for the other PDFs. This works but is cumbersome: you can't reorder files before merging and each step is manual.
Method 2: PDFrust in the browser (recommended)
Go to pdfrust.com in Edge, Chrome or Firefox. Upload multiple PDF files, reorder them via drag-and-drop in the desired sequence, and download the combined result. No installation, no account, free. Works on Windows 10 and 11.
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Method 3: Print to PDF
Print multiple PDFs to "Microsoft Print to PDF", one by one. This is the most cumbersome method and gives no control over page order per file.
Free software alternatives
PDF-XChange Editor (free version), PDFsam Basic (open-source merging). These require installation but are good options for regular use without an internet connection.
File size after merging
Merging multiple PDFs gives a larger file. Use the compress tool to reduce the combined PDF before sending by email or uploading to a portal.
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