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How to merge Word documents

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• Applies to: Microsoft Word

If you have to combine separate Microsoft Word documents, you can copy and paste them together if they're short, or merge them if they're long.

The format might not stay the same when you merge documents.

Select the Insert tab.

Select Object , and then select Text from File from the drop-down menu.

Select the files to be merged into the current document. Press and hold Ctrl to select more than one document.

Documents will be merged in the order in which they appear in the file list. To use a different order, select and insert each file individually in the desired order.

For more information, see the Forum .

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How to Merge Documents in Microsoft Word

Last Updated: August 8, 2023 Approved

Merging Multiple Documents

Merging two versions of a single document.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA . Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 98% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 1,451,046 times. Learn more...

This wikiHow teaches you how to merge multiple Microsoft Word documents into a single document. In addition to merging separate documents, you can also merge multiple versions of a single document into one brand-new file. Although combining documents may seem daunting at first, the steps are actually pretty easy, and you'll be combining files in no time!

• If you only want to merge plain text into this document (no images, special fonts, for formatting), you can click the arrow next to "Object" instead, select Text from File , and skip to step 7.

• Word documents and most RTF documents will retain their original formatting when merged. Results will vary for other types of files.
• Repeat these steps for each document you want to merge.

• A Word document will have multiple versions if you've enabled Track Changes on the Review tab. [1] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source

• If you don't have a Review tab, click the Tools tab.

• If you want to mark the parts of the document that have been changed since revision, type a label into the "Label unmarked changes with" box. Usually you'll want to use the name of the person who suggested the edits.

• If there's too much information on the screen to read the new document, go to Compare > Show Source Documents > Hide Source Documents . This minimizes the right panel and marks revisions with a vertical red line in the new merged document.

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• ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/track-changes-in-word-197ba630-0f5f-4a8e-9a77-3712475e806a
• ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/combine-document-revisions-f8f07f09-4461-4376-b041-89ad67412cfe

About This Article

1. Open a Word document. 2. Click the insertion point. 3. Click the Insert tab. 4. Click Object . 5. Click Create from file . 6. Select the document to merge. 7. Click Insert . 8. Click OK . Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Merge Two or More Microsoft Word Documents

Create a primary document for ease of access

What to Know

• Open the Word file that is the main document. Position the cursor at the insert location.
• Go to the Insert tab. Select Text > Object > Object > Create from File .
• Select Browse in Windows ( From File in macOS) and locate the second file. Select OK (or Insert on macOS).

This article explains how to combine two or more Microsoft Word documents into one document. It also includes information on merging different versions of a document into a single document. This article applies to Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, Word 2010, and Word for Mac.

Merge Two or More Word Documents 

When you want to combine multiple Microsoft Word documents into one, copying content from each and pasting it into another document isn't efficient. Here's the best way to merge Word documents into one primary file.

Open the file you wish to serve as the main document.

Place the cursor at the point of the document where you wish to insert the new content.

Go to the Insert tab, located near the upper-left corner of Word.

In the Text section, select Object .

In the drop-down menu, select Object .

Choose Text from File if you want to insert plain text from a source file and aren't concerned with maintaining the formatting or retaining the images.

In the Object dialog box, go to the Create from File tab.

Select Browse on Windows, or From File on macOS.

Locate and select the file or files containing the contents you wish to insert into the document.

When the File name is field is populated with the proper path and the source files, select OK on Windows, or Insert on macOS.

The contents from the destination files are inserted into the current Word document at the location you selected. These steps can be repeated for multiple documents if you like.

Merge Different Versions of a Single Document

When several people work on a single document, you have multiple versions of the same document. These versions can also be merged into one primary file without manually copying and pasting. However, the process for doing so is a bit different than detailed above.

Go to the Review tab.

Select Compare .

In the drop-down menu, select Combine or Combine Documents . 

In the Combine Documents dialog box, select the main document. Either select the Original document drop-down arrow and choose the file or select the folder icon.

Choose the document to merge with the main document. Select the Revised document drop-down arrow and choose the file containing the changes. 

Select the More button in Windows or the down arrow in macOS. This presents several optional settings that dictate how the two files are compared, along with how changes appear in the new document.

Once satisfied with the settings, select OK to merge the documents accordingly. Both files appear side-by-side, along with a record of revisions and the corresponding details.

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How to combine Word documents into a single file

• You can combine Word documents by using the Object button in the Insert tab.
• Choose Text from File in the Object drop-down menu to automatically add a selected file to your master document. 
• You can add as many documents as you like to a single file and then save the result as a master document.

If you have multiple Microsoft Word documents that you'd like to combine into a single, large document, there's more than one way to get the job done. You can open each document, copy the contents, and paste it into a master document, of course. That's not especially difficult, but it can be slow and cumbersome. A better way? Use Word's built-in Insert tool. 

How to combine Word documents

1. Start Microsoft Word and create a new, blank document. 

2. Click the Insert tab at the top of the ribbon bar.

3. In the Insert ribbon's Text section, click Object , and then in the drop-down menu, choose Text from File . 

4. In the Insert File dialog box, choose the Word doc you want to combine with this document and then click Insert . You should see the text flow into the document, retaining all the images, graphic elements, and formatting of the original file. 

5. Place the cursor where you want to insert the next document. Then use the Object button and Text from File menu to add the next document. 

6. Repeat the process to combine as many documents as you like to your new master document. 

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