How to Delete Pages from a PDF for Free: Quick Methods for Every Device

Quick summary: To delete pages from a PDF for free, open it in Preview on Mac, click the page thumbnail in the sidebar, press Delete, then save. On Windows, open in Edge, click the three-dot menu on the page thumbnail, and choose Remove Page. On iPhone, use the Files app Markup shortcut or a free online tool.

Removing a blank page, a duplicate, or a confidential section from a PDF takes under a minute on any platform. No subscription or software purchase is required — the tools are already on your device. Once you have the final file, you can upload it to our free AI PDF reader to summarize or ask questions about what remains.

How to delete pages from a PDF on Mac

Method 1: Preview (built-in, free)

Preview is the fastest option on macOS:

1. Open the PDF in Preview.
2. If the sidebar is not visible, go to View → Thumbnails.
3. Click the thumbnail of the page you want to delete to select it.
4. To select multiple pages: hold Cmd and click each page, or hold Shift to select a range.
5. Press the Delete key on your keyboard.
6. Save with Cmd + S.

The pages are permanently removed from the saved file. The original remains unchanged only if you use File → Save As to create a new copy first.

Method 2: Drag to Trash (Preview)

An alternative to pressing Delete:

1. Select the page thumbnail(s) in the sidebar.
2. Right-click → Delete.

Or simply drag the thumbnail out of the sidebar and drop it anywhere on the desktop — Preview removes it from the document.

How to delete pages from a PDF on Windows

Method 1: Microsoft Edge (built-in, free)

Edge added page management tools in recent versions:

1. Open the PDF in Microsoft Edge.
2. Click the page view icon in the toolbar (grid of squares) to open thumbnail view.
3. Hover over a page thumbnail — a three-dot menu (⋯) appears.
4. Click it and choose “Delete Page”.
5. Repeat for each page you want to remove.
6. Press Ctrl + S to save.

Method 2: Google Chrome (print selection)

Chrome does not have a dedicated delete-page tool, but you can effectively “keep” specific pages by printing a selection:

1. Open the PDF in Chrome.
2. Press Ctrl + P.
3. Under Pages, choose Custom and enter the page numbers you want to keep (e.g. 1-3, 5, 7-10).
4. Set the printer to “Save as PDF”.
5. Click Save.

The result contains only the pages you specified — the rest are gone.

How to delete pages from a PDF on iPhone

Method 1: Files app + Share as PDF

iOS does not have a native page-delete tool in the Files app, but you can achieve the same result:

1. Open the PDF in the Files app.
2. Tap Share → Print.
3. In the print preview, swipe left on the page thumbnail you want to remove — a Delete button appears.
4. Tap Delete.
5. Repeat for other pages.
6. Pinch outward on the remaining preview → Share → Save to Files.

Method 2: Shortcuts app

A quick automation for removing the last or first page:

1. Open Shortcuts → create a new shortcut.
2. Add “Get File” (pick your PDF) → “Get Pages of PDF”.
3. Add “Filter” to exclude page numbers you don’t want.
4. Add “Make PDF from Images” or “Combine Pages” → “Save File”.

This approach takes setup time but is reusable for batch operations.

How to delete specific pages online (free, no install)

Several free browser-based tools handle page deletion without sign-up. Search for “delete PDF pages free” and choose any well-reviewed option:

1. Upload your PDF.
2. Click the pages you want to remove.
3. Download the result.

Privacy note: Online tools upload your file to a remote server. Avoid them for documents that contain personal, financial, or legal information.

How to delete multiple pages at once

Mac — Preview

Hold Cmd and click each page thumbnail in the sidebar to select multiple non-consecutive pages, then press Delete. For a range (pages 3–7), click page 3, hold Shift, and click page 7 — all five are selected.

Windows — Edge

Edge requires deleting pages one at a time through the thumbnail menu. For bulk removal on Windows, use the Chrome print-selection method: specify only the page numbers you want to keep.

Command line — pdftk (Mac, Windows, Linux)

pdftk handles multi-page removal in one command. To keep pages 1–5 and 8–12 (effectively removing pages 6 and 7):

pdftk input.pdf cat 1-5 8-12 output result.pdf

Install via Homebrew on Mac (brew install pdftk-java) or from the pdftk website on Windows.

Comparison: which method to use

Situation	Best method
Single page on Mac	Preview → Delete key
Multiple pages on Mac	Preview → Cmd+click → Delete
Single page on Windows	Edge → three-dot menu → Delete Page
Keep specific pages on Windows	Chrome → Print → Custom pages
iPhone	Files → Share → Print → swipe to delete
Batch or scripted removal	pdftk command line

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Does deleting pages change the original PDF?

In Preview on Mac, pressing Cmd+S overwrites the original. To keep the original intact, use File → Duplicate before deleting, or File → Export as PDF to save a new copy. In Edge on Windows, saving also overwrites the original — make a copy first if needed.

Can I delete pages from a password-protected PDF?

Not without unlocking it first. See our guide on how to remove a password from a PDF for free, then delete the pages from the unlocked file.

How do I delete a blank page at the end of a PDF?

The blank page may have been added by a print driver or document export. Open the PDF in Preview, click the blank page thumbnail in the sidebar, press Delete, and save. If it reappears on the next export, check the original document — the blank page may originate there.

Will deleting pages reduce the file size?

Yes, proportionally. Removing 10 pages from a 20-page scanned document typically cuts the file size by about half. For text-heavy PDFs with shared fonts, the reduction is often smaller because fonts are embedded once for the whole document.

Can I undo a page deletion in Preview?

Yes — press Cmd + Z immediately after deleting before saving. Once you save (Cmd+S), the deletion is permanent in that file. Always work on a copy if you are unsure.

Related guides

• How to extract pages from a PDF for free — save specific pages as a new file instead of removing them
• How to edit a PDF for free — modify content on the remaining pages
• How to compress a PDF for free — reduce the file size after removing pages
• How to password protect a PDF for free — secure the final file before sharing