How To Combine Two Word Documents Into One

Even though Microsoft Word now supports multi-person collaboration on documents (either via the web app or an Role 365 subscription), there are however times when you'll demand to merge multiple Word documents together.

Of grade, you could only copy and paste the contents of one document into another, but it's not the well-nigh practical fashion of achieving the desired result.

Luckily, Give-and-take offers a few ways to merge several documents together.

How to Merge Multiple Word Documents

This article discusses 4 dissimilar methods for easily merging your Word documents. The methods that we will demonstrate are as follows:

Merging 2 versions of the same document.
Merging multiple versions of the aforementioned document.
Merging comments, formatting, and more.
Merging the text of multiple dissimilar documents.

These methods will surely help you lot avoid some deadening work associated with merging different files or text in Word. Above all, if y'all truly want to master it, you should download some absurd word templates and experiment with the methods listed.

1. Merging Two Versions of the Same Document

If you've got 2 slightly dissimilar versions of the aforementioned document, it can be tedious—if not incommunicable—to discover the minor variances.

Word provides a way to compare the differences between the 2 so merge them both into one single file.

Comparing the Ii Versions

Earlier you perform the merge, it'south prudent to study the differences between the two files. You lot might decide y'all don't want to combine them after all. We'll walk you through the process using two versions of a BBC News written report about the Mars probe.

Here's the original version:

And here's our slightly modified version:

To keep things unproblematic, we've highlighted the changes in yellow. To compare the differences now, follow these steps:

To brainstorm, open the original Give-and-take certificate.
Head to Review > Compare > Compare. If the Compare Documents choice is unavailable, your certificate is probably protected. To unprotect it, go to File > Info > Protect Document and remove whatever restrictions.
In the new window, populate the Original Certificate box with one file, and the Revised Document box with some other. You tin can also add a custom label to the changes.

Word will automatically open a new document. Revisions are shown in a column on the left (1), the compared documents are shown in the middle panel (two), and the two originals are displayed in the right-hand column (iii).

You tin hide the source documents past following Compare > Show Source Documents > Hide Source Document.

Merging the Two Versions

Now y'all've got all the differences neatly displayed in i single file, but it's nonetheless a mess. How do you determine which changes you desire to keep and which you desire to discard?

For that, you take two options. You can manually go through the document and edit each change to your liking (remember, the added text is underlined, removed text is shown with a strike-through).

Editing a document like this is fine for shorter documents, but you're still decumbent to missing things if yous're working on a long certificate such equally a book.

A more efficient method is to use the revisions listing in the left-hand cavalcade. You can either right-click on each modify and select Have or Reject, or you can place your cursor on the text under each listed revision and amend accordingly. Give-and-take will automatically update the text in the main certificate as you work.

As you tin can run across in the prototype below, we've worked through all the changes. The revisions counter has been reset to zero, and we at present accept a document in which we have either accustomed or rejected all of our changes. Y'all can now save the final document normally.

2. Merging Multiple Versions of the Same Document

Comparing two and merging 2 versions of 1 document is easy. But what well-nigh if you have multiple versions of the same file, perhaps because y'all sent it out to several people for their input?

Follow the beneath-given steps to merge unlike versions of the same certificate easily:

One time again, open the original document and head to Review > Compare. This time, you need to select Combine instead.
Put the kickoff document you want to merge into the Revised Document field, and characterization the changes. Click OK.
Once you lot have the combined document, go to Review > Compare > Combine once again. Put the freshly combined file in the Original Version field, and add together the adjacent certificate to the Revised Version. Kindly note that yous've to keep repeating the procedure for each re-create of the file, making certain you lot requite each revised certificate a unique label.

When you're finished, you'll stop up with a combined document that shows each person's changes in a dissimilar color. Equally earlier, right-click on each alter and select Have or Reject to create your terminal copy.

Merging documents can extend beyond uncomplicated alterations to the text. You might want to merge and retain comments, formatting, headers, footers, and a lot more than.

Unfortunately, Give-and-take makes the process painless. The methodology for comparing and/or combining the documents is the same, but when y'all've navigated to Review > Compare > Compare, click the More than >> button.

You'll be presented with an extensive list of options. When you've selected your preferences, click OK. You can proceed with accepting or rejecting changes in the same way as before.

four. Merging the Text of Multiple Unlike Documents

The last role of this tutorial will look at how to merge the text from completely different documents.

As mentioned at the first, yous tin copy and paste the text, but it'due south non ever practical, especially on long documents. A better method is to use Discussion's born tools.

For this tutorial, we're going to merge the BBC article about the Mars probe with Space.com'due south version of the same story.

Open up the start document. This is the file y'all will add all future files to.
Get to Insert > Object > Text from File. In example, you're unable to see this selection, click the drib-down arrow icon.
Now select the files to merge into the current document. Kindly note that Discussion will keep the original certificate's formatting. To demonstrate the betoken, we've highlighted Space.com'southward story in a dissimilar color and font.
Repeat the process for each document you lot want to add.
Finally, salve it when yous're finished.

Similarly, at that place are numerous lesser-known Microsoft Word features that you should be familiar with. If you're new to Microsoft Word, you should cheque out some cool word features that volition simplify your life.

Notation: While merging the text, it'll exist inserted wherever your cursor is, so make sure information technology's in the desired location earlier proceeding.

Do Caution When Merging Word Data

We've included a step-by-step guide for the four about oftentimes used methods of certificate merging, and we hope it'due south made your life easier with Microsoft Part.

Notwithstanding, for newcomers, merging multiple-word documents can be complicated and messy. That is why, when beginning a new draft, it is best to consider all possible uses for the file in the future.

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