Free browser PDF tool
Combine PDFs online — merge in your browser, no upload
Free in-browser PDF merger. Drop multiple PDFs, reorder, download one combined file. Runs entirely in your browser — nothing uploaded, no account, PIPEDA-clean for Canadian A&E firms.
Combine PDFs
◐ Runs locally in your browserWhy combine PDFs offline?
Engineering and architectural drawing sets are typically assembled from a dozen different sources — architectural plans from one consultant, structural from another, mechanical from a third. The "combine PDFs" operation is one of the most common drawing-coordination tasks in the firm. Doing it through a cloud tool means every drawing set passes through a third party's servers, and signed permits or client-confidential submittals legitimately shouldn't. LocusBIM combines them on your own machine in seconds, with no compromise on output fidelity.
What gets preserved
Page dimensions. Mix ANSI D drawings with A4 cover sheets and 11x17 details. Each page keeps its original size in the output.
Embedded fonts. No font substitution. Title-block text, dimension callouts, and stamp text all stay byte-identical.
Bookmarks and outline. If your source PDFs carry bookmarks (sheet index, discipline sections), they're preserved with their page references corrected for the merged document.
Annotations and markup. Existing markups (clouds, stamps, comments) on input PDFs carry forward into the output.
Vector graphics. LocusBIM concatenates page content streams directly — no rasterisation, no quality loss. Print-ready output the first time.
How it compares to cloud mergers
Typical A&E workflow
You receive a structural drawing set (12 sheets, signed), a mechanical set (8 sheets), and an architectural set (24 sheets). The general contractor wants a single combined PDF for the building permit submittal in this order: cover sheet, architectural, structural, mechanical. With LocusBIM:
- File ▸ Combine PDFs.
- Drag the four PDFs in.
- Drag-reorder rows: cover, architectural, structural, mechanical.
- Click Combine. Pick the output folder.
- The combined 45-sheet set is in your output folder in <5 seconds. Bookmarks survive. Signed seals on the structural sheets stay intact. Submit.
Frequently asked questions
How do I merge PDFs without uploading them?
Install LocusBIM Desktop (free, takes about 30 seconds). Open File → Combine PDFs, drag your files into the list, reorder them by dragging, click Combine. The merged file is written to a folder you pick. Nothing leaves your machine.
Is there a limit on how many PDFs I can merge?
No. LocusBIM handles drawing sets of hundreds of PDFs without complaint. The practical ceiling is your computer's RAM — a typical engineering workstation can merge thousands of pages comfortably.
Does the merged file preserve bookmarks and annotations from the source PDFs?
Yes. LocusBIM preserves bookmarks, page-level annotations, embedded fonts, and vector content from each source. The output is a clean PDF that any reader (Acrobat, Bluebeam, Preview, browser viewer) renders identically to the inputs.
Can I merge PDFs of different page sizes (e.g. ANSI D + A4)?
Yes. Page sizes are preserved per-page in the output — a merged set can have one A4 cover sheet followed by 30 ANSI D drawings followed by an 11x17 details sheet. Each output page keeps its original dimensions.
Does this work on macOS and Linux?
Yes. LocusBIM ships installers for Windows 10/11, macOS 11+ (Apple Silicon + Intel), and Ubuntu 22.04+ (AppImage). The PDF engine is identical across platforms.
Is there a difference between 'combine' and 'merge'?
Not in LocusBIM's vocabulary — they refer to the same operation: assemble multiple PDFs into a single output file in a chosen order. Some tools distinguish 'merge' (combine + delete sources) from 'combine' (combine + keep sources); LocusBIM never modifies your source files.
Why use LocusBIM instead of a free online merger?
Privacy is the headline answer — your PDF never leaves your machine. The deeper reason for engineering firms: cloud mergers re-render the input through their own PDF engine, which can subtly change line weights, font kerning, or stamp positions. LocusBIM concatenates content streams directly, so the output is byte-equivalent to the inputs at the page level.
Need more than just combine?
The same desktop app handles splitting, signing, annotation, plus BIM coordination and BCF round-trip for structural consultants. See pricing for the full feature breakdown.