Easy File Joiner 2.1.2.4

Easy File Joiner User Guide

This guide explains how to use Easy File Joiner to put split files back together, rebuild spanned ZIP archives, merge ZIP archives, join MP3 and WAV recordings, and combine text, log and CSV files. It also covers the checks Easy File Joiner runs before it writes anything, checksum verification, the Explorer context menu and the efjoin command-line program for scripts.

Contents

1. What Easy File Joiner does
2. Installing, upgrading and uninstalling
3. Joining files step by step
4. The main window
5. Adding files and setting their order
6. Rejoining split files
7. Checksum verification
8. ZIP and RAR archives
9. Joining MP3 files
10. Joining WAV files
11. Joining text, log and CSV files
12. Checks and warnings before joining
13. What happens while joining
14. Menus and keyboard shortcuts
15. Command line: efjoin.exe
16. Troubleshooting - questions and answers
17. Version history and license

1. What Easy File Joiner does

Easy File Joiner reads a list of files from top to bottom and writes them into one new file. For most files it copies the bytes exactly as they are. For formats where a plain copy would give a broken result, it understands the format and builds a correct file instead:

Easy File Joiner never modifies, moves or deletes the files you join. The result is always a new file. It is freeware and runs on Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 and 11, 32-bit and 64-bit.

2. Installing, upgrading and uninstalling

Download efjoiner.exe and run it. Setup installs Easy File Joiner for every user of the computer, so Windows asks for administrator permission. The default folder is C:\Program Files (x86)\Ashkon Software\Easy File Joiner (C:\Program Files\... on 32-bit Windows), and the Start menu gets shortcuts for the program, its help and the uninstaller.

No runtime libraries are installed or needed.

Setup options

When Setup finishes, it can start Easy File Joiner. It is started with normal user rights on purpose: the Explorer command and Send to cannot pass files to a copy that runs as administrator.

Upgrading

Run the Setup of the new version over the old one. It closes a running Easy File Joiner, replaces the program in the same folder, and keeps your settings and the list of joined files. An option you clear during the upgrade (for example the PATH entry) is removed.

Uninstalling

Use Settings > Apps, Control Panel > Programs and Features, or Uninstall Easy File Joiner in the Start menu. The program files, shortcuts, Explorer command, Send to entry and PATH entry are removed; your files and joined files stay where they are. Your settings remain in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Ashkon Software\Easy File Joiner - delete that key in the Registry Editor if you want them gone too.

Running without Setup

Copy EasyFileJoiner.exe, efjoin.exe and EasyFileJoiner.chm to any folder, for example on a USB drive. Everything works except the Explorer context menu, which needs Setup.

3. Joining files step by step

1. Add the files. Drop them from Windows Explorer onto the list, or click Add (Ctrl+O) and pick them. You can add files in several batches and from different folders. Each batch is sorted by name in natural order, so part2 comes before part10.
2. Check the order. The file at the top of the list is written first. Drag files to change the order, press Ctrl+Up / Ctrl+Down, or click a column header to sort. Be careful with names that differ only by a suffix such as “(2)”: Recording 20-27-00.mp3 sorts after Recording 20-27-00 (2).mp3, even if it was recorded first. Names that start with the date and time, like the recordings in the picture, are already in the right order.
3. Choose the output file. Click Browse... (Ctrl+S). A name based on the first file is suggested:

   First file in the list	Suggested output
   movie.mpg.001	movie.mpg
   backup.zip.part3	backup.zip
   backup.z01	backup_joined.zip (because backup.zip is the last volume and already exists)
   Recording 20-26-28.mp3	Recording 20-26-28_joined.mp3

   If you skip this step, Easy File Joiner asks for the output file when you start joining.
4. Join. Click Join on the toolbar or press F5. For some kinds of files you are asked a question first - for example whether MP3 files should be joined as MP3 (see section 12). The progress bar shows the percentage, speed and time left; click Stop to cancel. At the end a message shows the output file and its size, with extra details for ZIP, MP3 and WAV results and for checksum verification.

4. The main window

From top to bottom the window holds the toolbar, the list of files to join, the list of joined files, the progress bar, the output file box and the status bar. You can resize and maximize it; its size, position and column widths are remembered.

Toolbar

A grayed-out button can’t be used right now - for example, Remove needs a selection.

File list

Shows the File name (with its Windows icon), Size and Folder of every file to join. Click a column header to sort by it, and again to reverse the order; an arrow marks the sort column. When you move files by hand, the arrow disappears because the list is now in your own order.

Joined files

The second list keeps a history of your joins, newest first, up to 100 entries, and is kept between sessions.

Double-click an entry or press Enter to open the file. Right-click for more commands (section 14). Joining to the same output file again moves its entry to the top.

Progress

While joining, the bar below the joined-files list fills up, and the text next to it shows the percentage, the current speed and the time left, for example 42% · 85.3 MB/s · 0:37 left. If checksums are checked after the copy, the bar restarts with Verifying:. At the end it shows the size, the time taken and the average speed, such as Done: 755 KB in 0:00. The Easy File Joiner button on the taskbar shows the same progress.

Output file and status bar

The Output file box shows the full path of the file that will be created; Browse... changes it. The status bar shows messages on the left (files added, the file being copied, the result of the last join) and the number of files in the list and their total size on the right.

5. Adding files and setting their order

Ways to add files

• Drag and drop files or folders from Windows Explorer onto the list. This works even when Easy File Joiner runs as administrator.
• Add (Ctrl+O or Insert) opens a file dialog in the folder you used last.
• Explorer context menu: right-click the selected files and choose Join files with Easy File Joiner.
• Send to > Easy File Joiner, or drop files on the program icon or a shortcut.
• Start EasyFileJoiner.exe with file names on its command line.

New files go to the end of the list, each batch in natural order. Files that can’t be read are skipped, and the status bar says how many. You may add the same file twice if you really want it twice in the result.

Adding a folder

A folder adds every file inside it and inside its subfolders, in natural order, up to 20,000 files at a time. Hidden and system files (such as desktop.ini and Thumbs.db) are left out, and so are checksum files (.sfv, .md5, .sha256, .crc and similar) - those are used to verify the join instead.

Parts and volumes come as a set

Adding one volume of a spanned ZIP archive or one part of a split file also adds the other volumes or parts from the same folder, so none is forgotten. See section 6.

From Windows Explorer

If Setup’s Explorer option was selected (it is by default), select the files - for example all parts of a split file - right-click one of them and choose Join files with Easy File Joiner. Easy File Joiner opens, or comes to the front if it is already running, and adds the files. Nothing is joined until you click Join.

• On Windows 11, the command is under Show more options (or press Shift+F10).
• The command also appears for a single file; selecting one part is enough to get the whole set.
• Files sent while a join is running are added when it finishes.
• Explorer only hands the file names to Easy File Joiner; no program code is loaded into Explorer.

Send to and files dropped on the program icon behave the same way: a running Easy File Joiner takes the files, otherwise a new window opens with them.

Changing the order

• Drag the selected files up or down. A blue line marks where they will land, and the list scrolls when you drag near its edge. Esc cancels the drag.
• Ctrl+Up and Ctrl+Down (or Edit > Move Up / Move Down) move the selection by one position.
• Click a column header to sort by name, size or folder, or use Edit > Sort by Name.
• Several selected files move together as one block, even if they were not next to each other.

Removing files

Select files and press Delete or click Remove; New empties the whole list. Only the list changes - files are never deleted from the disk. The list is locked while a join runs.

6. Rejoining split files

File splitters such as HJSplit, 7-Zip, Total Commander and GSplit cut a large file into numbered pieces so it can be e-mailed, uploaded or stored on smaller media. Easy File Joiner reassembles the pieces into the original file.

How to rejoin

1. Add any one part, usually the first. The rest of the set in that folder is added and sorted (.009, .010, .011).
2. Check the output file; the original name is suggested.
3. Click Join. Parts are joined byte for byte, which restores the original exactly.

If the splitter also wrote a checksum file (.sfv, .md5, .crc), leave it in the folder next to the parts but don’t add it to the list - Easy File Joiner finds it and verifies the result (section 7).

What is checked before joining

• Missing parts - a skipped number (.004 between .003 and .005), a missing first part, or parts that a checksum file lists but the list lacks. The last check also catches a missing last part. Parts that are in the folder but were removed from the list are marked as such.
• A part of the wrong size - splitters make every part the same size except the last, which may be smaller. A different size usually means an incomplete download.
• A wrong total size - a Total Commander .crc file records the size of the original, and the parts must add up to it.
• A duplicate part number - for example the same part added from two folders.

All problems are listed in one warning, and the default button is not to join. If you have moved the parts out of number order, you are asked whether to join them in number order (recommended) or in the order shown.

Names that merely end in a number, such as report.2024 or track.12, are not treated as parts. Numbering from .000 and continuing with .1000 after .999 (as 7-Zip does) are recognized.

Parts versus complete files

Parts of one file are not the same as several complete files. A complete video (AVI, MP4, MKV), picture (JPEG, PNG) or document (PDF, DOCX) begins with a header that describes the entire file, so appending two of them does not make a longer video or document - usually only the first one shows. Combine those with the program that made them; Easy File Joiner warns you before joining such files. MPEG program and transport streams (.mpg, .ts, .vob) are the exception and can be appended safely. ZIP, MP3 and WAV files have their own support, described below.

7. Checksum verification

A checksum is a short fingerprint of a file: change one byte and the fingerprint changes. Many splitters and download sites put a checksum file next to the parts. Easy File Joiner reads it automatically, so you know the joined file is correct, not just that the bytes were copied.

Both common line layouts are understood (hash  name and SHA256 (name) = hash), as is a file that holds nothing but a hash, such as movie.avi.md5 containing the MD5 of movie.avi.

What gets verified

• Every file in the list that a checksum file in the same folder names - for example each part listed in an .sfv file.
• The joined file, when the list holds the parts of one split file and a checksum file names the original (movie.avi), or when a checksum file in the output folder names the output file.

The joined file is verified only for byte-for-byte joins. An MP3, WAV, text or ZIP join produces a new file that no checksum file could describe.

Cost and results

Checksums are calculated from the data as it is copied, so usually nothing is read twice. Files that are not copied from start to end - MP3 files, whose tags are dropped, for example - are read once more at the end, and the progress shows Verifying:.

When everything matches, the final message lists the checksum files used, for example parts.sfv: 12 files match (CRC32). When something does not match, the joined data is held back - the output file has not been replaced yet - and you see which files differ. A mismatch usually means a damaged or incomplete part: download it again. It can also mean the checksum file belongs to another version of the file. Answer Yes to keep the result anyway (for example a video that still plays despite one damaged part) or No to delete it; an existing file with the output name is then left untouched.

8. ZIP and RAR archives

Split ZIP: name.zip.001, name.zip.002, …

Produced by 7-Zip, HJSplit and other splitters. These are simply pieces of an ordinary ZIP file and are joined byte for byte like any split file. .7z.001 and .rar.001 parts work the same way.

Spanned ZIP: name.z01, name.z02, …, name.zip

Produced by WinZip and Info-ZIP as “split” or “spanned” archives. Here name.zip is the last volume, not the whole archive, and every volume stores positions relative to itself. Appending the volumes therefore yields a damaged archive. Easy File Joiner rebuilds them into one standard ZIP file:

• adding any volume adds the others from the same folder;
• volumes are always joined in the correct order (.z01, .z02, …, .zip last), whatever the order in the list;
• the archive directory is rewritten for the single file. Nothing is extracted or recompressed, so it is fast, and archives larger than 4 GB are written as ZIP64;
• if a volume is missing, it is named and nothing is joined;
• the suggested output name is name_joined.zip, because name.zip is already taken by the last volume.

Several complete ZIP archives

When the list contains only complete ZIP archives, you are asked:

• Yes - merge them into one archive (recommended). It contains the files of all archives in list order; nothing is extracted or recompressed.
• No - join byte for byte. Most programs then show only the files of the last archive.
• Cancel - don’t join.

If the same path appears in more than one archive, the copy from the archive higher in the list wins and the later one is skipped; the final message gives the count and an example. Put the archive with the newer files first if you want those kept. Archives with extra data in front, such as self-extracting archives or the result of an earlier byte-for-byte join, are merged correctly too.

RAR volumes: name.part1.rar, … or name.rar, name.r00, …

These are volumes of a multi-volume RAR archive and cannot be turned into one file by joining. Open the first volume (name.part1.rar or name.rar) in WinRAR or 7-Zip, which read the remaining volumes on their own. Easy File Joiner warns you if you try to join RAR volumes.

9. Joining MP3 files

MP3 files appended byte for byte usually play, but badly: players show only the first file’s length, seeking lands in the wrong place, and the title, artist and cover tags of the other files sit in the middle of the audio, where they can click. When every file in the list is an MP3, Easy File Joiner asks:

• Yes - join as MP3 (recommended);
• No - join byte for byte;
• Cancel - don’t join.

What “join as MP3” does

• Copies the audio frame by frame. Nothing is decoded or re-encoded, so quality is unchanged and the join is as fast as a file copy.
• Keeps the first file’s tags (ID3v2 at the start, ID3v1 at the end) for the result and removes the ID3v2, ID3v1, APEv2 and Lyrics3 tags of the other files.
• Updates the first file’s Xing/Info or VBRI header - the one players read for length and seeking - to cover the whole result, and drops those headers from the other files. If the result has a variable bitrate and the first file has no such header, one is created.
• The final message gives the total length and the number of tags removed.

Different formats

If the files differ in sample rate (44,100 Hz vs 48,000 Hz), MPEG version or mono/stereo, the question lists the differences. Many players cannot play such a mixture correctly; convert the files to one format first or combine them in an audio editor.

Recordings

Check the order before joining a series of recordings - see the “(2)” example in section 3. Short silences may remain where each recording started or ended, because MP3 encoders pad every file; this is the same in any joiner that doesn’t re-encode.

10. Joining WAV files

A WAV file starts with a header that states how long the audio is. Appended byte for byte, most players play only the first file, and each following header becomes a click. When every file in the list is a WAV file, you are asked whether to join them into one WAV file (Yes, recommended), byte for byte (No), or not at all (Cancel).

What “join into one WAV file” does

• Copies the audio data of all files, one after another, without decoding or converting it.
• Writes one header for the whole result, with the first file’s format and its descriptive information (LIST and broadcast-wave chunks such as title and artist).
• Writes results over 4 GB in the RF64 format, which Audacity, Adobe Audition, VLC, foobar2000 and most other editors and players open.
• Uses all the audio of recordings that were not closed properly (the recorder crashed or the power failed), whose header often states the wrong length.
• Reports the total length when done.

All files must share the same sample rate, number of channels and sample format (for example 16-bit). If they don’t, the differences are listed; convert the files to one format in an audio editor first.

11. Joining text, log and CSV files

When the list holds only text files (.txt, .log, .csv, .html, source code and similar), you are asked whether to join them as text (Yes, recommended), exactly as they are (No), or not at all (Cancel).

What “join as text” does

• Every file starts on a new line. If a file doesn’t end with a line break, one is added, in the style of the first file (Windows CR+LF or Unix LF), so lines from two files never run together.
• Byte order marks at the start of the second and later files are removed; otherwise they would show up as stray characters in the middle of the result. The first file’s mark is kept.
• UTF-16 (Unicode) files get their added line breaks in UTF-16.

CSV tables with a header row

If every file is a .csv or .tsv file and they all begin with the identical first line, Easy File Joiner shows that line and asks whether to keep only the first file’s copy. Answer Yes for one table with a single header; No keeps every header. Headers are compared exactly, so files whose columns differ in name or order keep all their rows - make sure such files really belong to the same table.

Mixed encodings

If some files are UTF-16 and others are ANSI or UTF-8, they are listed. Text is not converted, so some characters will look wrong in the result; save all files in the same encoding first (in Notepad: File > Save As, Encoding).

Parts of a split text file (notes.txt.001, …) are always joined byte for byte, because a part can end in the middle of a line.

12. Checks and warnings before joining

Before writing anything, Easy File Joiner looks at the output file and the list. Where the result would probably be unusable, it asks first, and the default button is always the safe choice.

Output file

Files in the list

File types are recognized by their content where possible - a ZIP file renamed to .dat is still treated as ZIP - and otherwise by the extension.

13. What happens while joining

Your files stay unchanged

The input files are only read; they are never modified, moved or deleted.

Temporary file

The result is first written next to the output file under the output name plus .joining. Only after everything has been written successfully is it renamed to the real name, replacing an older file of that name. So after Stop, an error or a full disk, an existing output file is exactly as it was, and you never end up with a half-written result. The temporary file is deleted after a failed or cancelled join; only if the computer is switched off mid-join can a .joining file remain, and it can simply be deleted.

Background work and Stop

Joining runs in the background, so the window keeps responding. For ZIP archives and MP3 files the files are analyzed first (Analyzing files...), which takes a moment for long MP3 files. You can click Stop at any time; closing the window during a join asks whether to stop.

Large files and long paths

Any file size the file system supports can be joined, including results larger than 4 GB - the output drive must then use NTFS or exFAT, since FAT32 is limited to 4 GB per file. Files in folders whose paths are longer than 260 characters are supported.

Where settings are kept

Window size and position (including maximized), column widths of both lists, the folders used last and the joined-files history are stored under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Ashkon Software\Easy File Joiner.

14. Menus and keyboard shortcuts

File list context menu

Right-click the list, or press Shift+F10 or the Menu key. Right-clicking a file that isn’t selected selects it first, as in Explorer.

Open, Open Containing Folder and Copy Full Path also work during a join.

Joined files context menu

Ctrl+A selects all joined-file entries, and Alt+J moves the keyboard focus to that list. In the file list, Shift/Ctrl+click selects several files and Esc cancels a drag. Enter and Esc never close the main window.

15. Command line: efjoin.exe

efjoin.exe is installed next to the program and uses the same engine: split files, spanned ZIP rebuild, ZIP merge, MP3, WAV and text joins, the same checks and checksum verification. Use it in batch files, scripts and Task Scheduler jobs. If Setup didn’t add it to the PATH, call it with its full path, for example "C:\Program Files (x86)\Ashkon Software\Easy File Joiner\efjoin.exe".

efjoin [options] <files, folders or wildcards...> [-o <output file>]

Options may start with -, -- or /; values can also be attached, as in /mode:text or --out=file.

Inputs

• A file is joined as given; if it is a part or a spanned ZIP volume, the rest of the set is added from its folder and the list is sorted naturally.
• A folder adds all files in it and its subfolders, except hidden, system and checksum files.
• Wildcards such as *.mp3 or part?.txt expand in natural order.

Decisions without questions

Where the program would ask, efjoin uses the recommended answer: a complete spanned ZIP is rebuilt, only-ZIP lists are merged, only-MP3, only-WAV and only-text lists are joined in their format (CSV files with matching headers keep one header row), anything else is joined byte for byte. /mode overrides this.

Checks that would show a warning in the program - missing parts, wrong sizes, a wrong total size, mixed file types, complete videos/PDFs/pictures, RAR volumes, WAV files of different formats - stop the join with exit code 2 unless /force is given. Different text encodings and MP3 formats are only reported. The output is never one of the inputs, an existing output is replaced only with /overwrite, and only after a successful join. Progress is shown on one line; Ctrl+C stops, removes the temporary file and leaves the output untouched.

Exit codes

Examples

In a batch file:

efjoin "%~dp0movie.avi.001" -q
if errorlevel 1 echo Joining failed with code %errorlevel%

EasyFileJoiner.exe with file names

EasyFileJoiner.exe file1 file2 folder ... opens the program with those files in the list, or hands them to the copy that is already running. This is what Send to and dropping files on the icon do. It never joins on its own - use efjoin for unattended joins.

16. Troubleshooting - questions and answers

The joined video, picture or document shows only the first file.

Those were complete files, not parts of one file, and such formats can’t be combined by appending. Use a video editor, a PDF tool or the program that created them.

I joined two ZIP files and only the files of the last one are visible.

They were joined byte for byte. Join again and answer Yes to merge them into one archive.

Rebuilding a spanned ZIP says a volume is missing.

All volumes (.z01, .z02, … and the .zip) must be in the same folder. Get the missing volume and try again.

Windows says the joined archive is damaged.

Make sure every part is complete and in the right order; a partly downloaded part can’t be repaired by joining. If the parts came with a checksum file, put it in the same folder - Easy File Joiner will then name the damaged part.

“Checksum verification failed” after joining.

Download the named parts again and rejoin. If you are sure the parts are good, the checksum file may belong to a different version; answer Yes to keep the result.

Parts I didn’t select were added.

Adding one part brings in the rest of the set so that none is forgotten. Remove the ones you don’t want - you will be warned before joining if a part is then missing.

The joined MP3 shows the wrong length, or has clicks or small gaps.

Join again and answer Yes to join as MP3. Different sample rates can still confuse players. Small gaps come from the silence encoders add to each file and remain when nothing is re-encoded.

“The output file is also one of the files to join.”

Choose another output name - writing the result over one of its own inputs would destroy data.

Joining failed with “not enough space” or a write error.

Free some space or choose a folder on another drive. Your files and any existing output file are unchanged. If the output drive uses FAT32, it can’t hold files of 4 GB or more; use an NTFS or exFAT drive.

Drag and drop doesn’t work.

Drop onto the file list itself. Files can’t be dropped while a join is running.

“Join files with Easy File Joiner” isn’t in the Explorer menu.

On Windows 11, look under Show more options (Shift+F10). Otherwise run Setup again and select the Explorer option.

“efjoin” is not recognized as a command.

Its folder isn’t in the PATH. Run Setup again with the PATH option and open a new Command Prompt, or call efjoin.exe with its full path.

Dropping a folder added more files than expected.

Folders include their subfolders. Remove the extra files, or drop the files instead of the folder.

Open or Open Containing Folder doesn’t work for a file with a very long path.

Joining supports paths over 260 characters, but Explorer and some dialogs may not. Open the folder in Explorer yourself.

A .joining file was left next to the output file.

The computer was turned off or the program was ended during a join. The file is incomplete; delete it.

17. Version history and license

2.1.2.4

• Split files are handled as sets: adding one part adds the others; missing parts, wrong sizes, duplicate numbers and a wrong total size are reported, and out-of-order parts can be joined in number order.
• Checksum verification with .sfv, .md5, .sha1, .sha256, .sha512, Total Commander .crc and SHA256SUMS-style files.
• Paths longer than 260 characters.
• Explorer context menu, Send to and dropping files on the program icon.
• Dropped folders add all their files and subfolders.
• Progress with speed and time left, also on the taskbar button.
• Command-line program efjoin.exe.

2.1.1.1

• Spanned ZIP archives rebuilt into one ZIP file; ZIP archives merged.
• MP3 join with correct tags, length and seeking; WAV join with RF64 for results over 4 GB.
• Text join with line breaks, BOM removal and a single CSV header row.
• File list context menu; Joined files history; warnings for complete videos, PDFs, Office documents, pictures, RAR volumes and mixed file types.

2.0

• Rebuilt for Windows 7 to 11: Unicode file names, files over 4 GB, high-DPI displays, a resizable window with Size and Folder columns, natural sorting, drag-and-drop reordering, a Stop button and joining through a temporary file.

1.x (2005–2020)

The original Easy File Joiner for text files.

License

Easy File Joiner is freeware: free for personal, educational, business and government use on any number of computers, with no registration or key. You may give away copies of the complete, unmodified setup program free of charge. It may not be sold, modified or reverse engineered, and it is provided as is, without warranty. The full terms are in License.txt in the program folder.