Technologies

It’s free and easy to combine multiple PDFs on Windows or Mac. Here’s how

You don’t need to pay for Adobe Acrobat to combine your PDFs into one document. Here are two ways to do it.

Merging multiple PDFs together shouldn’t be stressful. Sure, working with lots of different documents can get tricky, but there are a few easy ways you can combine PDFs together, whether you’re constructing a portfolio or just looking for ways to cut down on file clutter.

One of the most popular tools for combining PDFs is Adobe Acrobat, but that software will cost you at least $13 a month for a subscription. Luckily, there are a few other ways you can combine PDFs for free, no matter what type of computer you’re using.

Here’s how to combine multiple PDFs for free, whether you’re working on a Windows device or a Mac. (We’ve also got tricks for how to easily sign PDFs, and four free apps for better PDF editing.)

How do I combine PDFs on Windows?

If you’re using Windows, you’ll need a third-party app to help you combine PDFs. We tested a few, and found a solid option in PDF Merger & Splitter by AnywaySoft. It’s available through the Microsoft Store for free.

Here’s how to merge PDFs with this app:

Open the app, and choose Merge or Split. If you just need to merge two documents without changing the order of any pages, choose Merge.
Click Add PDFs, and select however many you want to merge. You have the option to move them up or down, or sort by name. You can also preview what the merged documents will look like.
Once your documents are in order, hit Merge, and name and save the new merged PDF.

If you want to customize your merger a bit more, such as by changing the order of pages or only adding in certain parts of each PDF, you’ll have to split them first. To do that, select Split when the app opens. Choose which individual pages or page ranges you want to pull out. You can save them as one PDF, or as individual PDFs.

Read more: How to download Windows 11 free

How do I combine PDFs on Mac?

On Mac, you can combine PDFs with a built-in tool found in Preview, according to Apple Support.

Here’s how to combine two PDFs:

Open a PDF in Preview.
Go to View > Thumbnails. You’ll see page thumbnails in the sidebar.
Select the thumbnail for the page where you want to insert the other document.
Click Edit > Insert > Page from File (if the Page from File selection is dimmed so you can’t click it, make sure that the file you have open is a PDF. Some encrypted PDF documents can’t be merged, according to Apple. Check the permissions of a PDF by choosing Tools > Show Inspector, then click the lock icon).
Select the PDF you want to add, and click Open.
Choose File > Export as PDF to save.

And here’s how to combine parts of one PDF with another PDF:

Open the PDFs you want to combine in Preview.
In each document, choose View > Thumbnails. You’ll see page thumbnails in the sidebar.
Press and hold the Command key, and select the page thumbnails that you want to add to the other document. Let go of the Command key.
Drag the selected thumbnails to the sidebar of the other PDF, and release where you want them to go. (If you have macOS Sierra or earlier, drag the thumbnails directly into a thumbnail in the other PDF.)

You can rotate, delete and reorder pages from the thumbnail section, too.

Now that you’ve mastered combining all of your PDFs, make sure to check out other hidden Mac tips and secret Windows 10 tips, and how to download Windows 10, Windows 11 and Microsoft Office apps for free.

Technologies

Tinder Users Must Start Logging In With Their Faces, Starting Nationwide

The social app now has new US requirements including face identification to help quell longstanding problems with catfishing and more.

US Tinder users will find a new feature when they open up the dating app starting Wednesday: A mandatory Face Check on their phones will be required before they can log into their profiles.

The Face Check step will begin with a new request to record a video of your face, a more casual version of setting up Apple’s Face ID login. Tinder will then run checks comparing your face data to your current profile pics and automatically create a small face badge for your profile. We already know how it works, because Tinder has already launched the feature in Canada and California before the full US rollout.

The technology, powered by FaceTec, will keep biometric data of the user’s face in encrypted form but discard the scanning video for privacy. Tinder will be able to use the face data to detect duplicate accounts, in an effort to cut down on fake profiles and identity theft.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Tinder’s facial recognition rollout is also made to prevent catfishing, or people pretending to be someone else on Tinder to scam or blackmail them. But that also points to a deeper problem on the rise in dating apps — a growing number of bots, many controlled by AI, are designed to glean personal information or fool users into scammy subscriptions, among other problems.

Tinder’s working against these bots on several fronts, including this Face Check push as well as ID Check, which requires a government-issued ID and other types of photo verification.

The dating app also recently released a feature in June to enable double-dating with your friends, which Tinder reports is especially popular with Gen Z users. If you’re worried about the latest hazards on Tinder, we have guide to safety practices.

A representative for Tinder did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, Oct. 23

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 23.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Like some weather, memories and I.P.A.s
Answer: HAZY

5A clue: Statement that’s self-evidently true
Answer: AXIOM

7A clue: Civic automaker
Answer: HONDA

8A clue: What fear leads to, as Yoda told a young Anakin
Answer: ANGER

9A clue: Foxlike
Answer: SLY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Verbal «lol»
Answer: HAHA

2D clue: Brain signal transmitter
Answer: AXON

3D clue: Hits with a witty comeback
Answer: ZINGS

4D clue: Sing at the top of a mountain, maybe
Answer: YODEL

6D clue: Name of the famous «Queen of Scots»
Answer: MARY

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 23 #599

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 599.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle might be Halloween-themed, as the answers are all rather dangerous. Some of them are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Please don’t eat me!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Remember Mr. Yuk?

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

POND, NOON, NODE, BALE, SOCK, LOVE, LOCK, MOCK, LEER, REEL, GLOVE, DAIS, LEAN, LEAD, REEL

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers: