How to Merge Photos Online — Side by Side or Stacked
Merging photos means combining two or more images into a single file, arranged side by side or stacked vertically — useful for before/after comparisons, quick collages, or product shots that need to sit next to each other in one image. The Merge Images tool does this entirely in your browser: no upload, no account, and the result downloads as a single image.
When you'd merge photos instead of using a collage app
- Before/after comparisons — two photos placed side by side communicate a change instantly, without captions.
- Product or portfolio shots — combining a few angles of the same subject into one image for a listing or portfolio page.
- Social media posts — some platforms only accept a single image per post slot; merging lets you fit several photos into that one slot.
- Quick documentation — stacking a series of screenshots into one image is often faster than attaching each one separately.
If you need dozens of photos in a grid with themed backgrounds and stickers, a dedicated collage app is the better tool. For two to a handful of images arranged cleanly, a simple merge is faster and produces a smaller file.
How to merge images in four steps
- Open the Merge Images tool and add your photos — drag and drop, or select files.
- Choose a layout: side by side (horizontal) or stacked (vertical).
- Adjust spacing, alignment, and background color to taste — a small gap and a white or transparent background usually reads cleanest.
- Download the merged result as a single image file.
Getting a clean result
- Match dimensions before merging. Uneven image sizes are the single most common cause of an awkward-looking result.
- Keep the image count reasonable. Two to four images stay legible; beyond that, a grid-based collage layout usually reads better than a single row or column.
- Pick a background color that fits the context. White or transparent works for most uses; a neutral gray helps photos with light backgrounds stand out from the page.
- Compress after merging if it's going on the web. A merged image inherits the combined file size of its parts — run it through an image compressor before publishing if page load speed matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I merge more than two images at once?
Yes — add as many images as you need and arrange them side by side or stacked; the layout adjusts to however many you add.
What image formats can I merge?
JPG, PNG, and WEBP are all supported as input, and the merged result downloads as a single image file.
Do the images need to be the same size?
No, but mismatched dimensions leave uneven whitespace around the smaller image. For a clean result, crop or resize images to a consistent height or width before merging.
Are my photos uploaded to a server?
No — merging happens entirely in your browser using the Canvas API; images are never sent anywhere.
Try the Tool
Use Merge Images now, or explore the rest of the image toolkit, including the image compressor and image cropper.