Organise pages
How to rotate scanned PDFs before merging them
By DeckleUpdated
To rotate scanned PDFs before merging them, open each sideways scan in Rotate PDF, turn the pages that need it and choose Rotate PDF to download a corrected copy. Then add the corrected copies to Merge PDFs, put them in order and choose Merge PDFs. Merging never turns pages, so the orientation has to be right in every file first.
Correct each scan before joining the packet
Scan PDF
Turn only pages that need correction
Corrected output
Reopen and inspect the saved orientation
Merged packet
Check the order and every document join
A correct file order does not prove correct page orientation
How to rotate and merge scans with Deckle
- List your scan files in the order they belong, and note which pages in each file are sideways or upside down.
- Open Rotate PDF and choose the first scan that needs fixing, or drop it onto the page.
- If every page in that file is wrong the same way, keep Rotation scope on All pages. Otherwise choose This page and go to each page that needs turning.
- Choose Turn left or Turn right until each page reads correctly, then choose Rotate PDF and download the corrected copy.
- Repeat for each scan that needs fixing. Scans that are already upright can go straight into the merge.
- Open Merge PDFs, choose Select files and add the corrected copies and the upright scans.
- Arrange Files to merge in your planned order, check that each file is ticked, then choose Merge PDFs and download the packet.
The merge result tells you how many pages were combined and from how many files. Compare it with the page counts of your scans.
Why rotate first
Merge PDFs places whole files one after another, exactly as they are. It has no rotate control, so a sideways page in a source file is a sideways page in the packet.
Fixing each scan on its own is also easier. In a three-page receipt scan you can see every page at once. In a combined 40-page packet, the same sideways receipt is one thumbnail among many. And if a correction goes wrong, you only redo one small file.
If you already have the packet merged, you don't need to start again. Open the merged PDF in Rotate PDF, set This page and turn the pages that need it, or use the method in fix sideways pages in a mixed scan packet.
Keep a simple checklist
Example: a rental application is built from four scans.
| File | Pages | Needs |
|---|---|---|
id-card.pdf |
2 | Both pages upside down |
payslips.pdf |
3 | Upright |
bank-letter.pdf |
1 | Turn right |
reference.pdf |
2 | Page 2 turn left |
id-card.pdf gets All pages and two turns. bank-letter.pdf gets one Turn right. reference.pdf gets This page on page 2 and one Turn left. payslips.pdf needs nothing. The merge then takes four files and should produce an 8-page packet.
Rename each corrected download so you can tell it from the original, for example bank-letter-rotated.pdf. Rotate PDF never changes the source, so without new names you end up with two files that look alike in your downloads folder.
Merge the corrected files in order
In Merge PDFs, the order of the list is the order of the packet. File names don't sort themselves.
- Drag a row by its handle, use the up and down arrows on the row, or type a position under Move to.
- Untick any original that slipped in alongside its corrected copy, so the same pages don't appear twice.
- Set Output PDF name to something the recipient will recognise, such as
rental-application.pdf.
The button stays disabled until at least two files are ticked and the name is valid, and it tells you what is missing. How to merge PDF files in the right order covers the merge step in full.
Check the finished packet
Open the merged download and look at:
- the first page of each source file, to confirm the order;
- every page you turned, to confirm it reads correctly;
- the total page count, against the sum of your scans.
A landscape table or chart that reads correctly when you turn your head is not an error. Leave pages like that as they are.
Tips
- Convert photos to PDF first. If some pages are phone photos, create PDFs with JPG to PDF, then rotate and merge them with the rest.
- Fix order and blank pages before merging too. Organize PDF pages turns, reorders and removes pages in one pass; see remove pages before merging.
- Use quarter turns only. Rotate PDF turns pages in 90-degree steps. A page scanned at a slight angle needs rescanning to be straight.
Other ways to rotate and merge
- Preview on a Mac. Select pages and click Rotate Left in the toolbar (hold Option and click Rotate Right for the other way), then drag the other PDFs from the Finder into the sidebar. Preview saves changes to the file you opened, so choose File > Duplicate first.
- Adobe Acrobat. The paid desktop app rotates pages in Organize Pages and merges with Combine Files. Adobe describes the free Acrobat Reader as a viewer and lists editing and organising PDFs under its paid plans.
Frequently asked questions
Can I rotate pages while merging PDFs?
No. Merge PDFs joins files as they are. Rotate the scans first, or rotate pages in the merged file afterwards.
Will merging undo my rotation?
No. A rotation saved with Rotate PDF is part of the file, so it carries into the merged packet. A reader's rotate view is not saved and is lost.
Will rotating or merging change printed page numbers?
No. Neither tool rewrites footer text, so each scan keeps its own printed numbers.
Related tools
- Rotate PDF to correct each scan
- Merge PDFs to combine the corrected files in order
- JPG to PDF to turn phone photos into PDF pages