Remove PDF Pages You Do Not Need
What happens when you delete pages from a PDF
Remove selected pages from a PDF and keep the remaining pages in their existing order. Enter the page numbers or ranges to discard, then check the resulting document before sharing it. This is useful for blank scans, duplicate pages or an unwanted cover. To keep only a selected set of pages, use Extract PDF Pages instead.
Cost: Free to use. File size and usage limits apply.
How to remove pages from a PDF
Add one PDF
Click Choose PDF or drop a PDF of up to 200 MB on the preview. You can also pick a file from Uploads, including results from other PDF tools. If you drop several PDFs, only the first is used.
Look up the page positions
Page through the preview. The counter above it shows the current page and the total, for example
9 / 24. Use these positions, not the page numbers printed in the document.List the pages to delete
Type them into Pages to remove, separated by commas, for example
1,9,17-18.Remove, check, download
Click Remove pages. The shortened PDF opens in the preview so you can page through it before you click Download updated PDF. The result is also saved in Uploads for use in other tools.
Writing the page list
Pages to remove is the only setting. The field starts with 2-3; replace it with the pages you want to remove. Example: a 24-page scan with an unwanted cover, a blank page 9 and two duplicate pages 17 and 18. Enter 1,9,17-18 and the result has 20 pages.
- Single pages and ranges
- Enter single pages (
7), ranges (4-9) or a comma-separated mix of both. Spaces are ignored, so1, 9, 17-18works too. Only digits, commas and hyphens are allowed. - Order and overlaps
- The order you type does not matter, and a page listed twice is removed once:
5-8,6deletes pages 5, 6, 7 and 8. The pages that remain always keep their original order. - What is rejected
- Ranges must run from low to high, so
9-4is rejected. Open-ended ranges such as20-and words likelastorevenare not supported: write20-24instead. A page beyond the end of the file stops the job before anything changes, with a message such as "This PDF has 24 pages. Page 30 is not available."
What stays the same and what is lost
The remaining pages are copied as they are, not re-rendered, so there is no quality loss. Text stays selectable and searchable, images are not recompressed, and web links and comments on those pages are kept. Page size and orientation do not change.
What is lost is only what you select: the listed pages are removed completely, together with the links and comments on them.
Remove, extract or reorder?
This tool fits when you know what should go: a cover, blank scans, a duplicate page. Two related tools cover the other cases.
Extract PDF Pages
Best when you only want to keep a few pages of a long file. In Extract PDF Pages you list the pages to keep instead.
Reorder PDF Pages
If pages are in the wrong place rather than unwanted, Reorder PDF Pages puts them in the sequence you type. Pages you leave out of that sequence are dropped, so it can reorder and delete in one step.
Formats and limits
- Input format
- Output format
- One PDF with the remaining pages in their original order
- Maximum file size
- 200 MB
- Files per job
- 1 PDF
- Password-protected PDFs
- PDFs that ask for a password when you open them cannot be processed. If you know the password, remove it first with Unlock PDF.
- Processing
- On our servers with the pdfcpu PDF library. A job can run for up to 15 minutes.
- Watermark
- None
- Storage
- Uploads and results are deleted automatically after 48 hours for guests and after 30 days for free accounts. Paid plans can keep files longer.
Frequently asked questions
The page numbers printed in my document don't match. Which do I use?
Use the position in the file. Reports and books often start with a cover and pages numbered i, ii, iii, so the page printed as 1 may be page 5 of the file. The counter above the preview always shows the position.
Why is my PDF barely smaller after deleting pages?
Fonts and images that the remaining pages still use stay in the file, so removing a few text-only pages may free very little. Removing scanned pages or pages with photos can save more, depending on their content and shared resources. To try reducing the size further, run the result through Compress PDF and compare the actual files.
Can I remove pages from a protected PDF?
Yes, if it opens without a password. A PDF that asks for a password when you open it has to be unlocked first with Unlock PDF.
I removed pages and now need to delete one more. What do I do?
Open Uploads and select the shortened PDF as the source, then enter the page position as it appears in that file and click Remove pages again.