Strange limitation in Combine Files

[Vlad Kosulin]

It looks like there is strict limit of 346 files that can be combined at once using.

I have about 50,000 PNG images that need to be combined into 70+ PDF volumes. Every time I use Tools/Combine Files and try to choose more than 346 files, only first 346 files are included, and I have to go to Tools/Organise Pages to add missing files to the binder.

Considering that I need to prepare 70+ volumes, this is very cumbersome and time cosuming issue.

Does anybody else experience the same problem?

[Amal.]

Hi Vlad

Hope you are doing well and sorry to hear that.

What is the workflow/steps you are doing to combine the files? Are you combining it over desktop application or over the web using document cloud?

If you will combine files into a single PDF using Adobe Acrobat there is no theoretical or published limit.

If you are using document cloud to combine and merge files to PDF you have these limits:

• The maximum number of files to combine is 12.
• The file size limit is 100MB per file

Also, please make sure you have the recent version 22.1.20169 of the Acrobat DC application installed. Go to Help > Check for updates and reboot the computer once.

You may also try to reset the Acrobat Preferences as described here https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-discussions/how-to-reset-acrobat-preference-settings-to-defau...

Hope this info. will help

Regards

Amal

[Vlad Kosulin]

Hi,

I use Acrobat Pro DC on Windows 11. Version 2022.001.20169.

Steps to reproduce:
Prepare more then 346 PNG files in the same directory (I usually have 400-600).
Click on Tools/Combine Files/Add Files.

Select PNG files in Add Files pop-up (I select all files that are in the same directory), and click the Open button.

Only the first 346 files are seen as added in Combine Files window.

And if I click on 'Add Files...' before clicking on Combine, and try to add missing files, I see all files added. I then click on Combine, and all files are processed into binder.

[Vlad Kosulin]

There is some unrecognizable condition which causes this behavior. Since yesterday, Acrobat initially  combines not 346 files, but 339 only.

I don't know what this condition is. I can only say that there are no two identical PNG files in the whole source set.

[Test Screen Name]

The chances are this limit is caused by (poor programming and) the number of open files. Thus, if more files are open, or other actions were done in the past, the limit is reached. While Adobe staff may say "there is no limit" this only means there is no tested or published limit. Acrobat is an interactive tool designed for VERY LOW VOLUME automation. Some people leap from this to trying to handle thousands or even millions of files and find it very painful indeed. I suggest you seek - from some other software publisher - non-interactive apps designed for this specific task. If you feel you really must use Acrobat I suggest combining files in batches of 200. Then the files can be combined, perhaps 200 at a time, which is up to 40,000.