Remove PDF Pages

Common reasons to delete pages: blank backs from a double-sided scan, a fax cover sheet, terms and conditions nobody asked for, or pages with information the reader shouldn't see.

Note the page numbers you want gone before you start. Most PDF readers show the current page number in the toolbar, which saves scrolling through thumbnails twice.

Blank pages from a double-sided scan are the classic case. A 10-page letter scanned on both sides becomes 20 pages, 10 of them blank. Removing them halves the page count and often the file size.

Deleting a page removes it completely from the new file. Covering text with a black box in an editor doesn't always do that, because the text underneath can sometimes still be copied.

If you need to remove more than half the pages, Extract PDF Pages is often quicker. You pick the pages to keep instead.

Page numbers printed on the pages don't update. If page 4 goes, the printed numbers jump from 3 to 5. For formal documents, mention it or renumber in the original file.

Tables of contents and links that point to removed pages will stop working, so check them if your document has them.

Don't remove pages from a signed contract without asking the other party first. Changing a signed agreement can make it invalid.

If the file is still large after removing pages, Compress PDF can shrink it further.

Keep the full original. You may need the removed pages again, and you can't get them back from the shortened copy.