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I merged my files in the wrong order. Should I redo the merge or reorder the pages of the merged file?

If whole files are out of place, redo the merge and fix the file order in its list, which is quicker than moving dozens of pages. If only a few pages are misplaced, open the merged file in the reorder tool and move just those. Either way, page quality does not change.

Published · 3 min read

Ask yourself: what is out of place?

Mistakes after a merge usually come in two shapes. Either a whole file landed in the wrong slot, such as the quotation coming after the catalog instead of before it, or the terms file sitting in the middle. Or the files are in order but a page or two inside them is misplaced, like a catalog cover that was at the end of the supplier's file to begin with.

Case one: whole files in the wrong place

Say you merged three files: a 3-page quotation, a 40-page catalog and 2 pages of terms, and the catalog came out first. Fixing that in the reorder tool means moving the three quotation pages from positions 41 to 43 to the front, then checking the terms are last. Possible, but easier to open Merge PDFs again, add the three files, put the quotation first with the move up and move down buttons, and merge. Your source files have not changed; they are still on your device.

Case two: scattered pages out of place

Here redoing the merge does not help, because the error is inside one of the files. Open the merged file in the reorder tool and move only the few affected pages.

  1. Open Reorder PDF pages and choose the merged file.
  2. Use the thumbnails to find the misplaced page, such as a cover that ended up at position 43.
  3. Move it with the to-start button, or step by step with the two middle buttons, depending on where it belongs.
  4. Check the “New order” line, then press “Download in new order”.

A quick rule for choosing

  • A large run of consecutive pages needs moving: redo the merge.
  • One to three pages are misplaced: reorder the merged file.
  • Both problems at once: redo the merge first to fix the file order, then reorder the few pages left.
  • You no longer have the source files: reorder the merged file whatever the count, using the to-start and to-end buttons to save time.

In every case pages are neither redrawn nor recompressed, so you lose no quality even if you pick the longer route.

Common questions

Can I move several pages at once?

The tool moves one page at a time. To move a consecutive block to the front, press move to start on its last page first, then the one before it, and the block keeps its order.

Which route keeps bookmarks?

Merging does not carry bookmarks in the first place, so the merged file has none either way.