How to delete specific
pages from a PDF.

The trick: think "keep", not "delete"

In most free tools, deleting PDF pages actually means"select the pages you want to keep and save them as a new PDF". The result is the same, and once you think of it this way the job goes quickly.

To drop page 3 of a 10-page document, you specify "1,2,4-10" to keep rather than "3" to remove. It feels backwards at first, but it is safer: the original file is never touched.Get it wrong and your original PDF is still intact.

Comparing the options

• Use a browser-based toolNothing to install, and you can see the pages as you pick them. This is the method described here
• Use Acrobat ProDeletes pages directly and reliably, but it is paid software on a monthly subscription
• Use the Windows print functionPrint only the pages you want with Microsoft Print to PDF. Quick, but the text can end up as an image and stop being searchable
• Import into Word and editThe layout usually breaks and the original formatting is hard to preserve

3 STEPS

Removing the pages

1. 01

   Choose PDFs

   Open the split tool and choose your PDF. Thumbnails of every page appear.

2. 02

   Select the pages to keep

   Tap the thumbnails, or type page numbers like "1,3-5,8". You simply leave out the pages you want gone.

3. 03

   Save as one PDF

   A new PDF containing only the selected pages is saved. Your original PDF is unchanged.

How to write the page numbers

• 1,3,5keeps only pages 1, 3 and 5
• 2-8keeps pages 2 through 8 — useful for dropping a cover sheet and a trailing page
• 1,4-6,10you can combine them, and the ranges need not be consecutive

Page numbers start at 1, and they can differ from the numbers printed on the pages themselves. Checking against the thumbnails as you go is the reliable way.

Worth checking before you send it

Removing pages does not removethe information stored inside the PDF. The author name, the application used and the creation date are stored separately, so it is worth checking those before the file leaves your hands.Remove PDF document information lets you check.

Bookmarks, form fields, attachments and digital signatures live outside the pages and can be lost when pages are re-selected. If your document relies on any of these, open the result and check before using it.