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Merge

This tool allows you to combine two or more layers into a single output layer. Features from all input layers are stacked into one dataset. By default, fields with the same name are mapped together, while fields unique to individual inputs are retained in the output.

1. Explanation​

Merging stacks features from multiple layers into one layer. Unlike a join, no matching is required — all features from all input layers are simply combined. This is useful when you have the same type of data split across multiple layers and want to work with it as a single dataset.

Key behaviour:

  • Features from all input layers are included in the output.
  • Fields with the same name across layers are merged into one column.
  • Fields that only exist in one input layer are retained with NULL for features from other layers.

2. Example use cases​

  • Combine building footprints from multiple municipalities into one layer.
  • Stack survey results collected in separate files into a single dataset.
  • Merge road network layers from different data sources.

3. How to use the tool​

1
Click on Toolbox Toolbox. Under Data Management, click on Merge.

Select Input Layers​

2
Under Input, select your first Input Layer from the dropdown.
3
Click + Add Input Path to add one or more additional layers to merge.

Merge Options​

4
Expand Merge Options and configure the following toggles:
  • Add Source Column — adds a column to the output indicating which input layer each feature came from.
  • Validate Geometry Types — checks that all input layers share the same geometry type before merging.
  • Promote To Multi — converts single-part geometries to multi-part (e.g. Polygon → MultiPolygon) to ensure compatibility across inputs.
5
Click Run to execute the merge. The result layer will be added to the map.
Hint

Calculation time varies by settings. Check the status bar for progress.