To extract certain pages of a PDF, you need Adobe Acrobat Pro or the free Adobe online extract tool, the free Adobe Reader cannot do this. The process creates a brand-new PDF file containing only the pages you selected, leaving your original document completely untouched.
How to extract certain pages of a PDF: Immediate answer
Extracting pages requires Adobe Acrobat Pro or the Adobe online tool, not the free Reader, and creates a new PDF leaving the original intact. This means you can share only the relevant sections of a large report or keep a lightweight copy of key chapters without altering your source file.
Extract pages with Adobe Acrobat Pro
- Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
- In the page thumbnails panel, select the pages you want to extract. To select a range of pages, hold the Shift key and click the first and last thumbnail. To select non-consecutive pages, hold the Control key (Windows) or Command key (Mac) and click each desired thumbnail.
- Right-click any selected thumbnail and choose "Extract pages" from the menu, or click the "Extract" button in the toolbar.
- Acrobat will create a new, separate PDF containing only the selected pages. Save this new file to your computer.
This method gives you precise control, you can pull out a single page for a quick handout or compile scattered sections into one focused document.
Use the Organize Pages tool as an alternative
Alternatively, go to the "Organize Pages" tool in the tool center. Once there, select the pages you want to extract by clicking on their thumbnails. Use the Shift key for a consecutive range or the Control/Command key for non-consecutive pages. Then click "Extract" or "OK". This workflow is especially useful when you're already working in the Organize Pages interface and want to quickly isolate specific content.
Extract pages online with Adobe Acrobat
- Click "Select a file" or drag and drop your PDF into the drop zone to upload it to Adobe's online extract tool.
- Sign in to your Adobe account.
- Select the pages you want to put into a new PDF by clicking their thumbnails.
- Download the newly created PDF containing only those pages.
