Delete pages from a PDF

How it works

1. Check the page numbers. Open the file in a reader and read the numbers off its page box. They are the file’s own numbers, counted from 1, and a number the document does not have stops the job.
2. List what to remove. 1 for a cover page, 2-4 for a run, 3,7,9 for scattered pages, 10- for everything from page ten on, or ‘even’ for every second page — the fix for a duplex scan that made a blank back for every sheet.
3. Download what is left. One PDF named with -pages-removed on the end, and a note saying how many pages went and how many are left. Compare those two numbers with what you expected.

What the options do

The form above lists the options this tool is running today, straight from the server. This is what they are for.

Pages to delete

The pages to remove. Commas list them, a dash makes a run, an open end (10-) runs to the last page, and the words ‘odd’ and ‘even’ both work — ‘even’ is how you drop the blank backs of a duplex scan in one go. Whatever is left keeps its original order. A range that would delete every page is refused, because a PDF has to have at least one, and a page number the document does not have is refused with the real range rather than ignored.

What this tool does not do

• The page numbers are the file’s own, counted from 1 — not the numbers printed on the paper. A report whose front matter is numbered i, ii, iii still starts at page 1 here.
• It cannot delete part of a page. Crop trims the margins, and the editor covers or changes what is on the page — but whiteout in any editor is decoration, not redaction.
• The result is a rebuilt document, so bookmarks are not carried over and a form’s field definitions are left behind.
• It does not find blank pages for you. ‘Even’ works when every second page is blank; anything less regular has to be listed by number.
• One file at a time.

What happens to your file

The file is uploaded because Delete PDF pages runs on our server rather than in the browser tab. It is kept for at most 2 hours and the result you download for 24 hours, then a scheduled job deletes both — a job has to be able to read the file while it runs, and you have to be able to retry a failed conversion without re-uploading. Neither needs longer.

Nothing about the contents is logged, and no one reads your documents. The retention page lists the same numbers the code enforces, and the privacy policy says who can reach the storage they sit in.

Questions

How do I delete the last page?

Write its number. If you do not know the page count, open the file and read it off the reader’s page box — the tool will not accept a number the document does not have, and when it refuses it names the real range.

How do I remove every blank back from a duplex scan?

Write ‘even’ if every second page is blank. If only some of them are, list those page numbers instead: deleting a page that had something on it is far harder to notice than leaving a blank one in.

Are the deleted pages really gone from the file?

Yes. The pages you keep are copied into a new document rather than unlinked from the old one, so nothing the deleted pages carried is left in the result. Whether the copy you already emailed to somebody is gone is a different question.

Can I delete a page and keep the numbering right?

The pages that remain keep whatever numbers are printed on them, so the sequence will now have a gap. Add page numbers restamps a document from any starting number if the printed sequence has to run cleanly.

What if I delete the wrong pages?

Your upload is untouched and is kept for two hours, so run it again with the right range. The result is a separate download and nothing is written back over your file.