How to extract pages from a PDF on a Mac
Save one page or a few pages of a PDF as a new file on a Mac. Three free ways with Preview, and how to keep the original untouched.
Someone wants only page 4 of a contract, or pages 10 to 14 of a report. You do not need to send the whole file, and you do not need to delete anything from the original.
1. Drag the pages out
- Open the PDF in Preview and choose View > Thumbnails.
- Select the pages you want. Shift click for a range, Command click for separate pages.
- Drag them onto the desktop. Preview saves them as a new PDF.
2. Copy into a new document
Select the thumbnails, press Command C, then choose File > New from Clipboard. Save the new document with File > Save.
3. Print a page range to PDF
- Choose File > Print.
- Under Pages, choose a range, for example 10 to 14.
- Open the PDF menu at the bottom left and choose Save as PDF.
Printing to PDF can drop links and form fields. Dragging or copying pages keeps them.
The one click way
In Simply PDF, Organise Pages lets you select pages across a long file from large thumbnails and press Extract. The new PDF is shown before you save it.
Questions
How do I save one page of a PDF as its own file on a Mac?
In Preview, show thumbnails, select the page and drag it to the desktop. It becomes a new one page PDF.
Does extracting pages remove them from the original?
No. Dragging, copying and printing all make a new file and leave the original as it was.