# How to merge PDFs and put the pages in the right order

> Insert an appendix between two report pages, check the order, and export a merged PDF that retains ordinary text and graphics.

[Read this guide in Edit PDF Pages](https://editpdfpages.com/guides/merge-and-reorder-pdfs/)

Content updated: 2026-10-12. Example checked 12 October 2026 in Chrome 155 on macOS.

The appendix belongs between the overview and the findings, even though it is in a separate PDF. Add it to the report, move it into position and export the assembled packet.

Download the fictional [project report](https://editpdfpages.com/guides/examples/project-report.pdf) and [appendix](https://editpdfpages.com/guides/examples/project-appendix.pdf). The finished order for this example is **Overview → Schedule appendix → Findings**.

## Build the three-page packet

1. In the [PDF workspace](https://editpdfpages.com/), choose **Open a PDF** and select the report.
2. Use **Pages +**, whose label is **Add PDF, JPG or PNG pages**, and select the appendix. Its page is added at the end.
3. Select the appendix thumbnail and choose **Move page earlier** once. Read the headings in the large preview to confirm the order.
4. If another document has a sideways page, select it and use **Rotate page** before exporting.

**Pages +** extends the open document. **Open PDF** starts a different document and can replace the workspace after confirmation. You can also [add JPG or PNG pages](https://editpdfpages.com/guides/images-to-pdf/) to a packet; image files have layout and ordering controls before import.

Moving pages does not change numbers printed inside them. Check references such as “see page 3,” contents lists and appendix labels separately.

## Export and check the order

Choose **Export**, the **PDF** format and **All pages**. Set **Output mode** to **Preserve PDF structure**, then choose **Create PDF**. Ordinary text and vector graphics are retained.

Open the download and read its three headings in order: Overview, Schedule appendix, Findings. Select or search a sentence from each source. Follow any important links and inspect unusual layouts before sending the packet.

## When preservation is unavailable or unsuitable

Edit PDF Pages cannot merge multiple interactive-form PDFs while preserving all their forms. It reports that limitation. Sanitized image-only export keeps their visible appearance, but the fields will no longer be fillable.

A redaction or replacement anywhere in the workspace forces sanitized PDF output. The exported pages become images, losing selectable text, searchable OCR, interactive forms and links. Preserve mode, meanwhile, can retain metadata and hidden source objects; it is not sanitization. Editing can also invalidate existing digital signatures.

The workspace accepts up to 200 pages, with a 60 MB limit per PDF and 120 MB across sources. Save a **.folio** project if you need to rearrange the packet later; it retains the source documents. For a reader who needs only part of the packet, [extract a separate copy](https://editpdfpages.com/guides/split-pdf/) without deleting pages from your workspace.

## Worked example

![Three-page packet with the schedule appendix selected between the report overview and findings](https://editpdfpages.com/guides/images/merge-and-reorder-pdfs.png)

The preserved download reopened with three pages in the order Overview, Schedule appendix, Findings, with text from each source retained.

## Related guides

- [How to split a PDF or extract selected pages](https://editpdfpages.com/guides/split-pdf/)
- [How to convert JPG and PNG images to a PDF](https://editpdfpages.com/guides/images-to-pdf/)
- [Compress a PDF: choose Lossless or Balanced](https://editpdfpages.com/guides/compress-pdf/)

These guides were prepared with AI assistance and checked using fictional documents. Examples contain no real customer or account data. See each guide's example for the workflow and its limits.