How to delete pages from a PDF

When to delete pages

• Blank or duplicate pages from scanning or exporting.
• Pages you shouldn’t share, such as an internal cover sheet, terms you’ve already sent or a page with personal details.
• Extra pages in a download: adverts at the end of a statement, instruction pages before a form.
• Upload page limits, when a portal accepts only a set number of pages.

If you want to keep the unwanted pages in a separate file rather than throw them away, split the PDF instead (see how to split a PDF). If you need to change something on a page rather than remove the whole page, use Edit PDF.

Delete pages from a PDF online

1. Open Delete PDF pages and drop in your PDF, or tap Select a PDF. The file is opened by your browser, so it stays on your device.
2. Wait for the previews. Each page appears as a small picture with its number, so you can see what you’re removing.
3. Mark the pages to delete by tapping them, typing their numbers, or using a quick pick (see below). Marked pages are clearly crossed out.
4. Check the summary: it shows how many pages will be removed and how many will remain. The tool won’t let you delete every page, because a PDF needs at least one.
5. Delete and download. The new PDF is rebuilt from the pages you kept, then re-opened to check its page count before it’s offered.

The remaining pages are copied exactly as they were, so text, images and quality don’t change.

Ways to choose pages

Typed numbers are physical page positions (the first page in the file is 1), which may differ from numbers printed on the pages.

Delete pages on a Mac with Preview

1. Open the PDF in Preview.
2. Choose View → Thumbnails to show the sidebar of pages.
3. Click the page you want to remove; Command-click to select several, or Shift-click for a run.
4. Press the Delete key, or choose Edit → Delete.
5. Choose File → Export as PDF to save a new copy, or File → Save to change the original.

Apple documents these steps in Add, delete or move PDF pages in Preview. Preview edits the open file, so exporting a copy is safer than saving over the original.

On Windows and Chromebook

Windows and ChromeOS don’t include a built-in tool for deleting PDF pages. Your options:

• A browser tool such as Delete PDF pages, which works in Edge, Chrome or Firefox without installing anything.
• Print to PDF, keeping only the pages you want. In the browser’s print dialog (Ctrl + P), choose Save as PDF or Microsoft Print to PDF and enter the pages to keep, for example 1-4, 6-12 to drop page 5. This re-creates the pages, so links and form fields may be lost.
• A desktop PDF editor, if you already have one.

On iPhone, iPad and Android

• Any phone: open Delete PDF pages in your browser; tapping page previews is natural on a touchscreen.
• iPhone and iPad: the Files app’s markup view lets you work with pages on recent versions of iOS and iPadOS; the options vary by version, so the browser method is the most consistent.
• Android: page tools depend on your phone’s apps; the browser method works on all of them.

In the AI workspace you can also attach a PDF and type “delete page 2”: the tool opens inside the chat with your file loaded.

Removing blank pages from scans

Scanning double-sided documents often produces a blank page after every single-sided sheet. To clean them up:

1. Look at the previews. Blank pages are easy to spot, but “almost blank” ones (with a faint line or page number) may need a closer look.
2. If the blanks alternate (pages 2, 4, 6…), use the Even quick pick to mark them all at once, then unmark any that actually contain content.
3. If they’re scattered, tap each one.
4. Delete and check that the page count matches the number of real pages.

Removing blank pages also makes the file smaller. If it’s still large, Compress PDF reduces the size of scanned images.

Worked example: tidying a downloaded statement

Your bank lets you download a year of statements as one 14-page PDF. Page 1 is a cover letter, pages 2–13 are the monthly statements, and page 14 is a page of marketing offers. A rental application asks for the last three months only.

1. Open the file in Delete PDF pages and look at the previews to confirm which pages are which.
2. Type 1-10, 14 to mark the cover letter, the first nine monthly statements and the offers page.
3. The summary shows 11 pages to delete and 3 to keep: pages 11, 12 and 13.
4. Delete and download, then rename the file bank-statements-aug-oct.pdf.
5. Open it to confirm it starts with August and ends with October.

The alternative, typing the pages to keep, is what the print-to-PDF method uses; Delete PDF pages asks for the pages to remove, so think about which list is shorter before you start.

Will the file get smaller?

Usually, yes. When a PDF is rebuilt from the pages you keep, images and other content used only on the deleted pages are left out, so a file of scanned pages typically shrinks roughly in proportion to the pages removed. The saving can be smaller than you expect when pages share resources: fonts, logos and background images are often stored once and used on every page, and they stay as long as any remaining page needs them. If the shorter file is still too big for an upload or email limit, compress it afterwards; our guide on how to compress a PDF explains the options.

Checking the result

• Page count: original pages − deleted pages should equal the new count.
• First and last pages: open the new file and make sure it starts and ends where you expect.
• Page order: deleting doesn’t change the order of the remaining pages. To rearrange or combine files, use Merge PDF.
• File name: save with a clear name, such as contract-without-annex.pdf, so you don’t confuse it with the original.

Deleting vs hiding sensitive content

If a page contains information you must not share, deleting the page removes it from the new file. That’s different from drawing a white or black box over part of a page: a box covers content visually, but the text underneath can often still be selected, copied or found by search. For partial removal of sensitive information you need true redaction, which removes the underlying content. When in doubt, delete the whole page and add a replacement page if needed.

Also remember that PDFs can carry information outside the pages, such as the author’s name in the document properties, comments, and attached files. Check these before sharing confidential files. And keep in mind who already has the original: deleting pages from your copy doesn’t remove them from a version you’ve already emailed to someone else, so if the wrong file went out, tell the recipient and ask them to delete it.

Common mistakes

• Saving over the only copy before checking the result.
• Using printed page numbers instead of positions in the file.
• Deleting a page that looked blank but had a faint signature or note.
• Relying on a white box to remove sensitive content.
• Printing to PDF when you need to keep links and form fields.