Remove Pages from a PDF File for Free: 6 Ways

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Delete unwanted pages from a PDF file for free with desktop apps or online tools
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Is there a page in your PDF document that doesn't need to be there? You can easily delete any PDF page, blank or not, using free tools on your computer. This wikiHow article will show you how to remove pages from a PDF file using your Windows or Mac computer, Google Chrome, SmallPDF, and Adobe Acrobat Pro.

Quickly Delete PDF Pages

There are many different ways to remove pages from PDFs, even without using Adobe Acrobat. If you have a Windows computer, open a PDF and press CTRL + P , then select Microsoft Print to PDF as the Destination . Select Custom from the Pages drop-down menu and type the pages you want to keep. Click Print and then select a save location and click Save .

Method 1
Method 1 of 6:

Using Windows

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  1. By default, it should open in your preferred browser.
    • On both Windows 10 and 11, you can use the built-in Microsoft Print to PDF feature to keep only specific pages, therefore "deleting" unwanted pages.
  2. This will open the Print menu.
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  3. You'll see a list of available printers and other destinations.
  4. This will be listed in the drop-down menu.
    • If you don't see this option, do the following to enable it:
      • Open the Start menu.
      • Type "turn windows features on or off".
      • Click the first option.
      • Check the box next to Microsoft Print to PDF .
      • Click OK .
  5. Click the drop-down menu to see more options. By default, this will be preset to All .
  6. You only need to include the pages you want to keep; don't include the pages you want to delete.
    • For example, to keep all pages except 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 13 from a 20-page document, enter the following:
      • 1-3, 5, 10-12, 14-20
  7. This is the button at the bottom of the screen. A new window will open.
  8. The new PDF will be saved to your computer, without the unwanted pages.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 6:

Using Mac

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  1. By default, it should open in the Preview app. [1]
  2. This will open the Print menu.
  3. By default, this will be preset to All .
  4. Click the thumbnails in the sidebar to select them.
    • Deselect the pages to "delete" them from the new document.
  5. This is towards the bottom of the menu. You'll see a list of options.
  6. This will be listed in the drop-down menu.
  7. This is the button at the bottom of the screen. A new window will open.
  8. The new PDF file will be saved, without the unwanted pages.
    • You can also enter information such as the Title, Subject, and Keywords to make the file easier to find later.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 6:

Using Google Chrome

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  1. If Google Chrome isn't your default PDF viewer, right-click (or Command-click) the file, click Open with , and then select Google Chrome .
  2. This is in the top-right corner of the page. A printing menu will open.
  3. Click the drop-down menu to see more options. If you have other printers connected, you'll also see them here.
  4. Click the drop-down menu to see more options. By default, this will be preset to All .
  5. You only need to include the pages you want to keep; don't include the pages you want to delete.
    • For example, to keep all pages except 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 13 from a 20-page document, enter the following:
      • 1-3, 5, 10-12, 14-20
  6. This is the blue button at the bottom.
    • A pop-up window will open.
  7. For some devices, the default location may be set to the Downloads folder.
    • The new PDF will be saved to your computer without the undesired pages.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 6:

Using Adobe Online

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  1. Go to https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/delete-pdf-pages.html in a web browser. This opens Adobe's online tool to delete pages from a PDF.
    • You can use the online tool for free with an Adobe account.
  2. If you are using your file manager (File Explorer on Windows and Finder on Mac), double-click to open a file in the Adobe tool.
  3. If you don't have a free account, you can create one by clicking Create a free account .
  4. You can hover your mouse over a page to prompt icons to appear. Click the trashcan icon to delete a single page.
    • Click the box in the top left corner of the pages to select them, then tap the trashcan icon in the menubar to delete multiple pages at once.
  5. It's in the top right corner of your browser and will direct you to a preview of the PDF without the deleted pages.
  6. It's in the top menu bar towards the right side of the page. [2]
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Method 5
Method 5 of 6:

Using SmallPDF

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  1. Go to https://smallpdf.com/delete-pages-from-pdf in a web browser. This opens SmallPDF's Delete Pages from PDF tool. SmallPDF is a free online tool you can use to quickly remove pages from a PDF.
    • You can use SmallPDF to delete pages from 2 PDFs each day for free. If you want unlimited edits, you can get a 7-day free trial , which also allows you to make other changes to PDFs in your web browser.
    • With all third-party websites, avoid uploading files with sensitive information.
  2. It's at the middle of the page.
    • You can also drag-and-drop the PDF into the purple box and skip the next step.
  3. This uploads your file to SmallPDF and displays the pages as thumbnails (small images).
  4. It's a large icon in the middle of the page and also in the thumbnail. This removes that page from the file. [3]
    • Repeat this step for all other pages you want to delete.
  5. It's the blue button near the top of your browser. This removes the selected pages and displays a preview.
  6. This saves the new version of the PDF to your computer.
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Method 6
Method 6 of 6:

Using Adobe Acrobat Pro

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  1. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat . This is a paid program that allows you to extract pages from a PDF. [4] .
    • This feature is not available in the free version of Adobe Acrobat (Reader).
    • If the PDF doesn't open in Acrobat, right-click the file, choose Open with , and then select Acrobat .
  2. It's in the right panel (in the secondary toolbar). You'll now see thumbnails (small versions of each page) in the Document area.
  3. Select the page you want to delete . Click the thumbnails in the Document area.
    • If you want to select multiple pages at once, click the Page Thumbnails button in the left panel to display thumbnails in a panel called "Page Thumbnails." Then, press and hold Ctrl (PC) or Command (Mac) as you click each page you want to delete in that panel.
  4. If you just selected one page, click the trash icon right next to it. If you selected multiple pages, click the trash icon at the top of the Page Thumbnails panel. [5]
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    How can I split a PDF file for free?
    Luigi Oppido
    Computer & Tech Specialist
    Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.
    Luigi Oppido
    Computer & Tech Specialist
    Expert Answer
    Use a free PDF printer! Go to the "print" menu while your PDF is open and select the page range you'd like to separate from the rest of the PDF. In the settings, switch your regular printer to a PDF printer—this saves the PDF as a new file. This can be done on any program that's viewing the PDF as long as you have a PDF printer installed (like CutePDF).
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
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    Not Helpful 4 Helpful 34
  • Question
    In my Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, there is no option for "Print to PDF" in the Print command. What can I do?
    Community Answer
    Just open the file in your internet browser, then click print or Ctrl+ P. In the Destination, chose "Save to PDF", then enter the page numbers you want. Click Save and you're done!
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
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    Not Helpful 23 Helpful 89
  • Question
    What should I do if there is no "delete" icon in the thumbnail pane?
    Community Answer
    Then you are using Adobe Reader, which is what most people have for just reading PDFs (not creating them). To delete pages, go to "print to PDF" in the print command. Chose to print only the pages you want to keep. Click print or create PDF. Then the pages will be gone.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-sg/guide/preview/prvw81f73d4e/mac
      2. ↑ https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/delete-pdf-pages.html
      3. ↑ https://smallpdf.com/delete-pages-from-pdf
      4. ↑ https://creativecloud.adobe.com/en-x-AFRICA/learn/acrobat/web/extract-pages-from-pdf
      5. ↑ https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/delete-pages-from-pdf.html

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Open the PDF in Preview.
      2. Click the View menu and select Thumbnails .
      3. Select the page(s) you want to delete.
      4. Press Delete on the keyboard.

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