A reading copy.
With clear boundaries.

What the converter supports

Choose a PDF portfolio or an ordinary PDF. The converter looks for embedded files it can discover, including supported nested portfolios, and displays their source paths. You choose which supported PDFs and JPEG or PNG images become pages in the merged reading copy.

Portfolio wrapper pages are excluded by default. You can explicitly include them when they contain useful cover information. A source index can be added to the reading copy.

Files that do not become pages

Word documents, spreadsheets, presentations, archives, and unsupported image types are not converted into PDF pages. They remain visible in the file list where discovered, and extracted original bytes are included in the originals ZIP. Selecting files for the reading copy does not limit which originals are preserved in that ZIP.

Nested archives such as ZIP files are preserved as files rather than unpacked. The app does not use Acrobat, Office, OCR, or an external conversion service.

Bounded workspaces

These limits help prevent a portfolio from overwhelming the browser. They are not a guarantee that every file below a limit can be processed.

Large page counts, deeply nested objects, memory-intensive images, or unusual compression can make a smaller file difficult to process. If a limit or parser error blocks extraction, read the reported warning and retain your input file.

Not every PDF can be read

• Password-protected or encrypted PDFs are not supported. Remove protection only if you are authorized to do so, using an appropriate tool.
• Malformed files, unsupported compression or embedded-file structures, and some unusual portfolios may fail or produce an incomplete discovery result.
• A scan cannot prove that it discovered every possible attachment in every PDF structure. Keep the original portfolio.
• Browser memory, device resources, and parser support can affect scans, previews, and export. Mobile devices may reach practical limits sooner.

Preview and source-index text

Click a file row to inspect its original pages in the side preview. Drag a file card to arrange files, or use the arrows and keyboard controls. The inclusion checkboxes separately control which sources become reading pages. Output ranges include the index and update immediately; use Build & review to inspect the actual assembled PDF before downloading. A new order or output setting clears the old export.

The index embeds a bundled licensed font for Chinese, kana, Latin accents, Greek and Cyrillic. It does not support every Unicode script. Missing glyphs, right-to-left text and unsafe controls are printed as visible [U+XXXX] codes. Very long index names are shortened after 1,600 code points; full original names remain in the export report. Index links in the finished PDF jump to the first output page for that source.

Previews render one page at a time and may fail independently of conversion. The source view shows original pages; the assembled view shows the same PDF bytes offered for download, including image placement and the source index. Inspect important pages in a trusted PDF viewer before sharing.

New source bookmarks

The optional source bookmarks are new navigation entries pointing to the first output page of each selected source, in export order. These do not restore or preserve the original documents’ internal bookmarks, and do not certify signature validity.

What a page merge may change

A reading copy is a newly generated document. Digital signatures do not transfer. Interactive forms, annotations, bookmarks, layers, scripts, multimedia, hyperlinks, attachment relationships, accessibility structure, and other advanced features may be changed, flattened, omitted, or unsupported.

Unfold does not perform OCR, certify PDF/A compliance, validate signatures, remove confidential information, or guarantee that a document remains accessible after conversion. Visually check representative pages and any important form content, and test search or copy behavior when it matters.

Read the export report

The report records processing outcomes and warnings. Review skipped or unsupported files rather than assuming they were converted. The originals ZIP preserves extracted source files for reference; it does not independently certify completeness, authenticity, or signature validity.

If the reading copy is incomplete or unsuitable, return to the original documents and a tool appropriate for that workflow. See our digital-signature guidance for signed documents.