Merge Scanned Front and Back Pages for Free
Upload the fronts and backs from a single-sided scan and get one correctly-ordered double-sided PDF.
Front pages
Drop front pages
or browse
Back pages
Drop back pages
or browse
More tools you might like
All free. All private. All in your browser.
Merge PDF
Combine multiple PDFs into one document
Split PDF
Extract specific pages from your PDF
Extract PDF Pages
Click the pages you want and save them as a new PDF
Rotate PDF
Rotate individual or all pages
Delete Pages
Remove specific pages from a PDF and keep the rest
Compress PDF
Reduce file size without losing quality
PDF to Word
Convert PDF to an editable Word document
Edit PDF
Add text, images, shapes, and annotations
Merge Front and Back Pages combines two single-sided scans into one correctly ordered double-sided PDF. Merge PDF stacks files one after the other; this tool interleaves them page by page — front 1, back 1, front 2, back 2. It is built for the usual scanner routine: scan the front-facing stack, flip the physical stack over, then scan the backs, which come out last page first.
What you can do
- Interleaves a fronts file and a backs file page by page.
- Back pages in reverse order is on by default, matching how single-sided scanners are normally used, and you can turn it off.
- If the files have different page counts, any unmatched page is still included rather than dropped.
- Produces one merged.pdf you can download straight away.
How it works
- 1Drop your scan of the front pages into the Front pages box.
- 2Drop your scan of the back pages into the Back pages box.
- 3Leave Back pages are in reverse order ticked if you flipped the stack to scan the backs — untick it if your scanner didn't reverse them.
- 4Click Merge Pages.
- 5Click Download merged.pdf.
Why use SmilingPDF for this
- Does what Merge PDF can't: true page-by-page interleaving.
- Handles the reversed-backs problem for you.
- Both scans stay on your device — often they are contracts or ID copies.
Private by design
Your file stays on your device.
- No upload
- No server storage
- No account required
- Browser-based processing
- No watermark
This tool runs inside your browser tab. Your file is read from your device, processed there, and handed back as a download — it is never sent to a SmilingPDF server, so there is nothing for us to store, read, or lose. You can check for yourself: open your browser's developer tools, switch to the Network tab and run the tool. Like most sites, SmilingPDF uses Google Analytics to count visits and which tools are used; that never includes the contents of your files. The privacy policy lists everything the site does collect.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Got questions? We've got answers.
Why not just use Merge PDF?
Merge PDF stacks files in the order you upload them. This tool interleaves two files page by page — front 1, back 1, front 2, back 2 — which Merge PDF can't do.
Why would the back pages be in reverse order?
It's how most single-sided (simplex) scanners get used: you scan the whole front-facing stack in order, then flip the physical stack over and scan the backs. Flipping the stack reverses it, so the backs come out of the feeder last-page-first. That's why 'Back pages are in reverse order' is checked by default — turn it off if your scanner or workflow doesn't do this.
What if the front and back files have different page counts?
Any unmatched page at the end is still included on its own, right after its last paired page, rather than being dropped.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
No. The merge happens entirely in your browser. Neither file ever leaves your device.