How to delete pages from a PDF on a Mac
Remove blank, extra or private pages from a PDF on a Mac with Preview in under a minute, and how to keep the original in case you need it back.
Scanners add blank backs, forms come with instruction pages, and sometimes one page should simply not go to the person you are sending it to. Preview removes pages in a few clicks.
The free way: Preview
- Make a copy of the PDF first: select it in Finder and press Command D. Deleting pages cannot be undone once the file is closed.
- Open the copy in Preview and choose View > Thumbnails.
- Click the page to remove. Command click to select more than one.
- Press the Delete key, or choose Edit > Delete.
- Choose File > Save.
If the page comes back
Make sure you selected the page in the thumbnail sidebar, not text on the page. If the PDF is locked with a password that stops changes, Preview will say it cannot save. In that case, see how to remove a PDF password if you know it.
Getting a deleted page back
While the file is still open, Edit > Undo brings the page back. After closing, File > Revert to Saved may offer earlier versions of the file, and the copy you made at the start always has every page.
The one click way
Simply PDF's Organise Pages shows every page as a large thumbnail, so blank and duplicate pages are easy to spot. Select them, delete, and check the result before saving. Nothing is written over the original.
Questions
How do I delete a page from a PDF on a Mac?
Open the PDF in Preview, choose View > Thumbnails, click the page, press Delete, then save.
Why can I not delete pages in Preview?
The PDF may be protected against changes. If you know the password, unlock it first. Also check that the page is selected in the sidebar, not on the page itself.