Need to take the contents of several different text files and merge them into one single file? You can accomplish this on your own computer with the help of Microsoft Word, which can turn multiple text files into one larger file with ease. Here’s how you can merge multiple text files into one single file using this free program. You’ll need to have all of the files you want to merge available in .txt format on your computer, as this will be the only format Microsoft Word will read them in.
Introduction
The best way to merge multiple text files is to use a computer application. The best ones are designed specifically for merging or combining different kinds of files. They are often able to combine text files and image files, not just text. These programs will also work with any kind of file you can save on your computer, so if you have an audio file or video file that you want to merge, these applications can handle it.
Install WinMerge
WinMerge is a computer application that allows you to quickly merge two text files in just about any Windows environment. Since it’s available for both Windows and Linux users, there are plenty of resources on how to use it.
Select Source and Target Folders
First, open your file manager and navigate to both source and target folders. Then, use Copy/Paste or drag-and-drop method to copy files from source folder to target folder. Or, simply press Ctrl+A (Select All) in target folder, then select Ctrl+C (Copy) in keyboard. Finally, press Ctrl+V (Paste) in keyboard to merge multiple text files into single text file.
Merge
Depending on your operating system, you’ll have different options for merging files. In Windows, you can merge .txt files by pasting or dragging them into Microsoft Word. Alternatively, if you’re running Windows 7 or later and have Office 2010 installed, open Word then go to Data > Get External Data > Import Text File.
Optimize your results
If you’re working with multiple files, don’t just copy and paste data from one file to another. The more you work on your computer, the more fragmented your hard drive gets, and you risk losing valuable information if there’s an issue with your disk. Instead of manually copying and pasting content over, optimize your results by using a computer application like WinMerge or AdvancedCompare (for Mac users). This allows you to merge all of your files quickly and effortlessly.
Conclusion
Merging several .txt files into one larger document is as easy as opening up Word and pressing Control-C. The problem, however, is that these techniques only work for Microsoft Word documents. This makes it difficult for people who work in different industries or do not use word processing programs at all to combine multiple text files. However, there are several other ways to merge many text files into one larger document so that it can be opened with a wide variety of software applications like Google Docs or Open Office.
