How to combine words documents

1) Backup all your individual documents before attempting anything.

2) Open your individual documents. For the purposes of this exercise, we’ve created Document 1, Document 2, and Document 3.

3) Create and save a Master Document — which is nothing more than a new Word document referred to as a “Master” Document.

At this point all your documents should be OPEN — both the Master Document and the other individual documents.

4) In the Master Document, select View tab > Document Views pod and select the OUTLINE view:

5) Click the SHOW DOCUMENT button to display additional controls:

6) Click the INSERT button to display the documents you’ve created or opened with the intention of combining into a larger document:

7) Select “Document 1″ to insert into the Outline. If there are any styles named the same both in that document and the Master Document, Word 2010 will give you an opportunity to change the style name (or keep it the same).

This is how Document 1 inserted into the Master Document looks like:

8] Repeat the same for the other two remaining document. This is how Document 2 is added right after Document 1:

Here is my take on the factors that determine whether a Master Document (MD) will go corrupt or not:

1) MD works best for small and homogenous/uniform documents that contain only text and share the same template, and are created by the same version of MS Word. If you are trying to combine ten different Word documents created by three different versions of MS Word (2003, 2007, 2010), each with over 1,000 pages, then the chances are you won’t be able to generate a clean Master Document.

2) The more tables, graphics, photos, and illustrations you have in each individual document, higher is the probability that your MD will get corrupted.

3) The more switches from portrait to landscape page orientation you have inside each individual document, higher is the probability that your MD will get corrupted.

4) The more ordered (numbered) lists you have inside each individual document, higher is the probability that your MD will get corrupted. You may think of corruption as a “foregone conclusion” if your lists have two or three indented levels and continue on multiple pages.

5) The more the individual documents differ in the way their pages are numbered, higher is the probability that your MD will get corrupted. For example, it does matter if the individual documents vary in the way their page numbers are positioned on the page, prefixed by chapter or volume numbers (or not), or if they are Arabic or Roman numerals (or Letters).

6) The more paragraphs styles you have and the more they vary from one document to another, higher is the probability that your MD will get corrupted. For example, in both Doc-A and Doc-B you may have a paragraph style called “Heading N” but if each Heading N is defined differently (different font, line spacing, kerning, etc.), higher is the probability that your MD will get corrupted.

9) Click CLOSE OUTLINE VIEW to shift back to the default PRINT LAYOUT view.

WARNING: Always keep backup copies of your individual documents since Word Master Documents sometimes do get corrupted. Read the comments following this post please