PDF Extract / Delete Pages
Keep or drop pages from a PDF. Pick visually with thumbnails or type a page range like 1-3, 5, 7-9. Lossless and 100% browser-side.
Interactive tool
Drop a PDF to start
Pick the pages to keep or delete. Files never leave your browser.
What is PDF Extract / Delete Pages?
A two-mode PDF page editor. In Extract mode, the tool keeps only the pages you tick and drops the rest. In Delete mode, the opposite. It drops the pages you tick and keeps the rest. Pick visually with thumbnails, or type a page range like "1-3, 5, 7-last". The result is a brand-new PDF; the original file is never modified and never leaves your browser.
How to Use This Page Editor
- 1Drop a PDF file into the upload area
- 2Wait for the thumbnail grid to render
- 3Choose Extract pages or Delete pages
- 4Click thumbnails to select, shift-click for ranges, or type a range like "1-3, 5"
- 5Click Save: your edited PDF downloads instantly
Key features
Two modes in one tool
Extract a subset or delete unwanted pages without switching apps
Range string + visual picker
Type "1-3, 5, 7-last" or click thumbnails: the two stay in sync
Shift-click ranges
Hold shift and click to toggle a contiguous range at once
Live preview count
See how many pages the result will have before you save
All / None / Invert
One-click bulk selection helpers for fast triage
Lossless output
Pages are copied byte-for-byte; no re-rasterizing or quality loss
No upload
pdf-lib runs in your browser; sensitive PDFs never travel to a server
Encrypted-PDF guard
Password-protected files are detected and reported up front
Why use a local PDF subset tool?
Most online subsetters require uploading the file: a problem for legal, medical, financial, or HR documents. This tool stays in your browser, keeps the file in memory, and produces a clean derived PDF without re-encoding the page contents. The range syntax (1-3, 5, 7-9, last, -2) covers the common shorthand from desktop tools without forcing you to click a hundred thumbnails.
Common use cases
- Sharing only chapters 2-4 of a long report
- Removing a confidential cover sheet before redistribution
- Trimming exported invoices to a single statement page
- Splitting a scanned bundle into per-document subsets
- Pulling an appendix out of a longer manuscript
- Cleaning up extra title or banner pages from a PDF export
Range syntax cheat sheet
- 1, 3, 5: individual pages
- 1-3: a contiguous range
- 1-3, 5, 7-9: mixed
- last: the final page
- -1, -2: count from the end (last, second-to-last)
- 5-last: fifth page through the end
Limitations
- Password-protected PDFs are not supported; remove the password first
- Form fields and annotations on the kept pages are preserved; deleted pages take their data with them
- Bookmarks may be partially affected when their target pages are deleted
- Digital signatures are invalidated by any page-level edit
- Very large PDFs (200+ pages) take a few seconds to render thumbnails
Tips & best practices
Type the range when you already know it
Pasting "5-12" into the range box is faster than ticking eight thumbnails individually.
Use Invert as a sanity check
If you are extracting most of the document, picking the few pages to drop and inverting is faster.
Use ⌘+↵ to save
Cmd+Enter (Ctrl+Enter on Windows) triggers Save without hunting for the button.
Check the result count before saving
The header shows "result will be N pages": a quick way to catch off-by-one selection mistakes.
Leave at least one page
In Delete mode, the tool will refuse to produce an empty PDF. Switch to Extract if you really need to keep just one page.
Privacy & security
All processing happens in your browser using pdf-lib and pdfjs-dist. Files are never uploaded, never logged, and never persisted. Closing the tab clears everything.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Extract and Delete?
Extract keeps the pages you select and drops the rest. Delete drops the pages you select and keeps the rest. The selection mechanic is identical: pick the mode that matches the smaller number of pages and you save clicks.
Can I type a range instead of clicking thumbnails?
Yes. The page range box accepts comma- or semicolon-separated tokens like "1-3, 5, 7-last". The keywords first, last, and end work, and negative numbers count from the end (-1 = last, -2 = second-to-last).
Is the PDF re-encoded?
No. pdf-lib copies pages by reference; the page contents are byte-identical to the original. Text, images, and embedded fonts come through with no quality loss.
Does it work on password-protected PDFs?
No. Encrypted PDFs are blocked up front. Use the PDF Password Remover tool first, or open the PDF in a viewer and re-save it without protection.
Will form fields, annotations and bookmarks survive?
Form fields and annotations on the kept pages are preserved. Bookmarks pointing to deleted pages are dropped. Digital signatures are invalidated by any page-level edit.
Is the file uploaded to a server?
No. Everything runs in your browser via pdfjs-dist (rendering) and pdf-lib (writing). Closing the tab discards the file from memory.