Keep list, not delete list
This tool asks which pages to keep. It builds a new PDF with pdf-lib, copies only the pages you list with copyPages, and downloads it as extracted.pdf. To delete pages, you list everything except the pages you want gone. The original file is never modified.
The order you type is the order you get
Because the selection is copied in the sequence you write it, the tool doubles as a page reorderer. Duplicates are removed, but nothing is sorted, and a backwards range like 7-5 is read as 5-7.
| You type (10-page file) | Pages in the new PDF |
|---|---|
1, 3-4 | 1, 3, 4 |
5, 1-2, 2 | 5, 1, 2 (the second 2 is dropped) |
9-12 | 9, 10 (11 and 12 do not exist) |
7-5 | 5, 6, 7 |
2- or two | nothing valid, so an error is shown |
Worked example: removing pages 3 and 8 from a 10-page report
Enter 1-2, 4-7, 9-10. That is 2 + 4 + 2 = 8 pages, in original order, with the two unwanted pages left out. To also move the summary on page 10 to the front, enter 10, 1-2, 4-7, 9 instead.
Things to watch for
- Open-ended ranges are not supported. Write
4-10rather than4-. The page count is shown above the box after you choose the file, so you know the upper limit. - Page numbers are positions, not printed labels. If a book PDF's cover is unnumbered and the first numbered page is physical page 5, type
5, not the page number printed on it. - Interactive extras may not follow. Bookmarks, document metadata and form-field registration belong to the document rather than the pages, so a short extract may not keep them.
- Encrypted files cannot be read and show "Could not read this PDF".
Need several parts instead of one? Split a document in two passes with Split PDF, or straighten a sideways page afterwards with Rotate PDF.