Converting
How to Create One PDF From Word, Excel, Images and Slides
Build a single PDF pack from mixed file types — the order of operations that avoids re-doing work and keeps every document readable.
Application packs, tender submissions and case files are always a mix: a Word cover letter, a spreadsheet of figures, a scanned certificate, a few photos, a deck. The recipient wants one PDF.
The order that saves you work
- 1Convert every non-PDF file to PDF individually, so everything is the same format.
- 2Fix each converted file before merging — rotate, remove blanks, check nothing was cut off.
- 3Decide the reading order and rename the files with a numeric prefix so the order is obvious.
- 4Merge them all in that order.
- 5Add page numbers across the combined document.
- 6Compress once, at the end.
The instinct is to merge first and fix afterwards. Resist it: a problem inside a 90-page merged pack is much harder to correct than the same problem in the 4-page file it came from.
Which converter for which file
| You have | Use | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| .docx | Word to PDF | Font substitution shifting the page breaks |
| .xlsx or .csv | Excel to PDF | Wide tables losing their right-hand columns |
| .pptx | PowerPoint to PDF | Long titles overlapping after a font substitution |
| .jpg, .png, .heic | JPG to PDF | Page size and orientation |
| Scans | JPG to PDF, then OCR | Sideways pages and blank versos |
| A web page | Print to PDF from the browser | Cookie banners printing with the content |
Making the pack navigable
A 90-page combined document with no signposts is hard to use. Two additions do most of the work: page numbers running across the whole pack, so anyone can refer to "page 47", and a contents page listing each section and where it starts, created after the merge when you know the real page numbers.
Before you send it
- Check the page count matches the sum of the parts.
- Confirm every section is present and in the right order.
- Check the file size against the recipient's limit — compress if it is close.
- Look for anything internal that should not be in there: draft watermarks, comment boxes, working columns.
- Give the file a name that identifies it: applicant, subject and date, not "merged.pdf".
Do it now
Merge PDF
Combine multiple PDFs into a single file. It runs in this browser tab — your file is not uploaded anywhere.
Open Merge PDFFrequently asked questions
Can I merge a Word file directly into a PDF?+
No. Convert it to PDF first; merging only works between PDFs.
What order should the pack be in?+
Whatever the recipient specified, exactly. If nothing was specified, cover letter first, then the main documents, then appendices and supporting evidence.
Should I compress before or after merging?+
After. One compression pass on the finished pack, so nothing is degraded twice.
How do I add a table of contents?+
Build it after merging, when the page numbers are settled, and merge it onto the front as a single page.