How to convert many files at once
Converting files one at a time is an absurd waste of time. Here are the two ways to do it in bulk, and when to use each.
4 minute read
Before you start: decide what you want to end up with
Almost everyone searching for "convert several files" wants one of these two things, and they are opposites:
- Many files converted, each on its own. Fifty HEIC photos that must end up as fifty JPGs.
- Many files merged into one. Ten photos of a contract that must end up as a single PDF.
Confusing the two is the number one source of frustration: you end up with ten one-page PDFs when you wanted one ten-page PDF.
Case 1: convert many, each on its own
Open the converter and drop all the files in at once. You can drag a whole folder from your file explorer.
Leave "One format for all files" selected and pick the target. It is the default precisely because it is the common case.
Press Convert. They are processed one after another and you see each one progress.
Press "Download all as ZIP" and take them all in one go.
Case 2: merge many into one
The converter is not the tool here: you need the merge tools, because the result is a single file.
- Images into a PDF: the several images into one PDF tool, which also lets you order them.
- Several PDFs into one: the merge PDF tool.
- Several Excel or CSV files into one: the merge Excel tool, stacking rows into a single table or keeping one tab per file.
How many files it takes at once
There is no limit on the count, but there is on memory: everything is processed without uploading anything. On a computer, fifty ordinary photos are no problem. On a phone, work in batches of ten or fifteen, especially with large images.
A trick to keep them in order
Rename the files with a number in front: 01-cover, 02-front, 03-back. When you select them, the system hands them over in that order and you save yourself the reordering.