Merging a document in word


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  • Merging Multiple Documents
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  • Merging Two Versions of a Single Document
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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!

  1. Image titled Merge Documents in Microsoft Word Step 1

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    Open the Word document you want to merge into. The easiest way to do this is to double-click the document so it opens in Word. You can also open Word first, click the File menu in Word, click Open, and select the document.

  2. Image titled Merge Documents in Microsoft Word Step 2

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    Click in the place where you want to insert the next document. The text from the document you’re inserting will begin at the location you click.

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    Click the Insert tab. It’s at the top of the screen between «Home» and «Draw» (or «Home and «Design» in some versions).

  4. Image titled Merge Documents in Microsoft Word Step 4

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    Click the Object button. It’s in the «Text» panel of the Insert tab, which is toward the top-right corner of Word. This opens the «Object» dialog window.

    • 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.
  5. Image titled Merge Documents in Microsoft Word Step 5

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    Click the Create from File tab. It’s the second tab in the Object window.

  6. Image titled Merge Documents in Microsoft Word Step 6

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    Click the Browse button. This opens your computer’s file browser.

  7. Image titled Merge Documents in Microsoft Word Step 7

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    Select the document you want to insert.

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    Click the Insert button. This closes the file browser and adds the file to the «File name» field.

  9. Image titled Merge Documents in Microsoft Word Step 9

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    Click the OK button to insert the document. The contents of the selected document should now appear where you set the cursor.

    • 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.
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  1. Image titled Merge Documents in Microsoft Word Step 10

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    Open one of the documents you want to merge. The easiest way to do this is to double-click the document so it opens in Word. You can also open Word first, click the File menu in Word, click Open, and select the document.

    • A Word document will have multiple versions if you’ve enabled Track Changes on the Review tab.[1]
  2. Image titled Merge Documents in Microsoft Word Step 11

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    Click the Review tab. It’s at the top of Word between «Mailings» and «View.»

    • If you don’t have a Review tab, click the Tools tab.
  3. Image titled Merge Documents in Microsoft Word Step 12

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    Click Compare. It’s in the toolbar toward the top-right side. Two options will expand.

  4. Image titled Merge Documents in Microsoft Word Step 13

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    Click on Combine…. It’s the second option. A window will appear in which you can choose your documents.

  5. Image titled Merge Documents in Microsoft Word Step 14

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    Select the «Original document» from the labeled drop-down menu. This is the document that was originally sent for review (before you made modifications).[2]

  6. Image titled Merge Documents in Microsoft Word Step 15

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    Select the «Revised document» from the labeled drop-down menu. This is the one you’ve edited.

    • 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.
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    Select New document under «Show changes in.» This tells Word to create a new document from the two you’re merging.

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    Click OK. The two versions will be combined into a new Word document and it’ll show up in a new three-panel Word window. The document in the center is the merged document, the left panel shows the revisions, and the right shows the two documents compared to one another.

    • 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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Add New Question

  • Question

    What is the point of merging a document?

    Community Answer

    If two people are working on the same document at the same time, you will end up with two conflicting revisions. Both may have started from the same base version of the document, but through their separate work, they have created two different, revised versions. The point of merging is to combine the changes of both contributors into a new, complete revision of the document. The merging process compares what was changed in each version of the document, and tries to automatically create a new document combining all changes from all editors. Manual intervention may be necessary, if, for example, two authors changed the same sentence in different ways.

  • Question

    How do I restart page numbering within a document?

    Community Answer

    Page tab — Break — Insert New Section Break; this will give you this chance to change page numbering.

  • Question

    How can I combine a German document and an English document to show the German text on the left side of the page and the English translation on the right side of the page?

    Community Answer

    Create a table with two columns on the page with two columns. Copy and paste the German text into the left column, and copy and paste the English text into the right column. If you wish you can put each paragraph of English and German into a new row in the table. Adjust your cells as necessary.

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About This Article

Article SummaryX

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.

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Sometimes when you’re collaborating on a word document with co-workers or editors, the number of copies, edits, and changes can quickly grow out of hand. This is why it’s helpful to have the option to combine two separate documents in Word, because a copy and an edited copy will not only merge, but you’ll also have the option to label which changes were made by a specific author and when.

Learn how you can easily merge two documents in Microsoft Word.

To start, open the first document you want to act as the primary document. Then, using the top toolbar, click on the “Review” tab, and find the button labeled “Compare.”

merge-word-documents-compare-button

From here, click the option to “Combine …” from the drop-down menu.

merge-word-documents-combine

This will open up a secondary box where you’ll need to select the two documents you want to combine from a drop-down list.

merge-word-documents-second-document

Choose the first document you want to act as the master. In general, you’ll want this to be the original copy, while the second document should be the copy with any edits from other people. Also, make sure you use the “Label unmarked changes” box to identify which users made changes to which aspects of the document.

If you click “More,” you can also control where these changes will be shown, either in the “Original document,” the “Revised document,” or in a “New document.”

word-resume-template-new-document

Manage the Combined Document

Once the document is merged, you’ll be greeted by the following window.

merge-word-documents-sections

Here you’ll see three independent sections – the left showing the “Revisions” made to the document, the middle showing the combined document, and the right section which will show both the original document and the revised document simultaneously.

If this amount of information is a bit too overwhelming, you can click the “Compare” button again, and scroll down to find the option labeled “Hide source documents.”

merge-word-documents-show-source

Click on this and bring the three sections down to two.

Merge in Additional Copies

If you’d like to add in more copies (such as in the example of having multiple edits per document), simply repeat the same process as you did above, but use the “Revised document” as your original copy, and then find the secondary documents you want to add in from the same list you used for the initial import.

Copy and Paste

Of course, if you want to cut down on all the complicated measures listed above, there’s always the trusty process of simply hitting Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V.

To use this option, find the source text that you want to import into your new document, and select anything you want to bring over with your mouse.

merge-word-documents-copy

Next, either right-click the text and choose “Copy” from the drop-down menu, or simply use the key command mentioned above to cut the text and paste it into the new document you want to edit.

Wrapping Up

The way you choose to merge your two documents will ultimately depend on the amount of control you want to have over what gets imported, as well as how many edits are made available during the revision process. Luckily, Word includes several different options for merging documents, so you can use it however suits your personal case the best!

Chris Stobing

Chris Stobing

A tech writer with seven years of experience in the industry, Chris Stobing has come to MakeTechEasier to do one thing and one thing only: make tech easier for the people who need it!

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For most people, the quickest method for combining Word documents is to manually copy and paste them into one. This isn’t the best method for merging documents—a far easier method is to insert your documents as objects instead. Here’s how.

You should be able to do this in any modern version of Microsoft Word, even those included with the latest versions of Office. These instructions should work for older versions of Word, too.

RELATED: What’s the Latest Version of Microsoft Office?

To begin, open a new or existing Microsoft Word document. This is the “master” document where you’ll combine all of your Word documents into a single file.

From the ribbon bar, click the “Insert” tab.

You’ll need to locate the “Object” button in the “Text” section. The icon may be large or small, depending on your screen resolution.

Press the downward-pointing arrow next to the “Object” button and then click the “Text from File” option in the drop-down menu that appears.

In the “Insert File” selection box, locate the first Word document you want to add to your open document.

Select the file and then click the “Insert” button to add it to your document.

Select your document, then press Insert to place it in your document

The contents of the selected Word document will be combined with your open document.

If it’s a new document, the contents will appear from the beginning. If you’re merging Word files into an existing document, the contents of your inserted files will appear below any existing content.

There are no limitations to this process—you can repeat these steps to combine as many Word documents as you like.

You’ll need to think about the order of your final document before you merge multiple documents, however. In the example below, several Word documents have been named with the endings A, B, and C to clarify the order of insertion.

A selection of Word documents, ordered by letters A, B and C

Merging multiple documents using the same Word format should mean your formatting, images, and other content move across to the new document, but double-check that this is the case when the merge process has been completed.

If you’re moving from a DOC to a DOCX file, you might lose formatting or other content, depending on how recently the file was edited in a modern version of Word.

RELATED: What Is a .DOCX File, and How Is It Different from a .DOC File in Microsoft Word?

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Create a primary document for ease of access

Updated on October 29, 2021

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.

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

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

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

  4. In the Text section, select Object.

  5. 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.

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

  7. Select Browse on Windows, or From File on macOS.

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

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

  10. 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.

  1. Go to the Review tab.

  2. Select Compare.

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

  4. 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.

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

  6. 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.

  7. 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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Do you have a document that has been divided into several files and now needs to be merged back together? If the individual documents do not overlap, i.e. no identical content is contained in any of the files, you can merge everything together in just a few steps. This is much faster than copying and pasting each passage by hand.

However, the function still needs some preparation. First, place all of the files together in one folder. Now assign uniform file names, so that Word can ultimately recognize a clear order. For example, each file could have the same document name, to which different numbers are then added. The order of the numbers should reflect how the passages will eventually be merged in the final document.

Now open a new Word file and go to the tab “Insert” and the option “Object”. In the drop-down menu, choose “Text from File…”. In the window that opens, navigate to the corresponding folder and select the files. If you hold down the Ctrl key during selection, you can directly mark several files at once.

If you now click on “Insert”, Word merges all the individual texts into one document in the right order, if you have previously selected the correct numbering. Now probably only a few final adjustments are necessary like formatting paragraphs properly, and there you have it: you have made one document from several files.

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