While working on documents using Microsoft Office Word 2007 / 2010 / 2013 / 2016 or later, sometimes users may need to combine and merge many multiple documents into one single document. For example, when author is writing a novel book by saving each chapter as individual documents, creating lots of document files for a single book. When the novel is finished and completed, the author may wish to combine and merge all separate documents into one single document in order to create table of contents and indexes for the whole book in one go.

To merge and combine multiple Word documents in Microsoft Word, follow steps in the trick below:

  1. Create a new blank document, and then configure to set the page layout settings so that the settings are similar to the documents that going to be merged. Alternatively, open one of the going to combine documents, and then save it as another file, and erase all contents inside it.
  2. Click Insert option in the Office Fluent Ribbon menu bar.

    Insert Option in Microsoft Office

  3. Click on the Down arrow at the right side of Object.
  4. Select Text from File… option.

    Insert Text from File in Office Word

  5. In the “Insert File” dialog window, select all Word documents that you want to merge and combine into one. To select multiple files, press and hold down “CTRL” key while clicking on the files one by one. If your files in is a series, select the first file on top, press and hold down “SHIFT” key, then click on the last file to select all files in between inclusive.
  6. Click on Insert button. If you want to insert the text as link style, click on the “Down arrow” to the right of “Insert” button, and then select Insert as Link.
  7. All documents selected now merged and combined into a single document file. Remember to save the file.