Delete Pages From PDF Without Monthly Fees: The Lifetime Guide to Removing Unwanted Pages

Quick start: delete PDF pages in under a minute

If you already know which pages you want to remove, this is the simplest path:

1. Open: Delete Pages
2. Upload your PDF
3. Enter the pages to delete (example: 2,5-8)
4. Click Delete Pages and download the cleaned PDF

What “delete PDF pages” means (and what it doesn’t)

Deleting pages removes specific pages from your PDF while keeping everything else exactly as-is. It’s perfect when you want to “trim the fat” but keep the document in the same order.

Deleting pages is different from:

• Extracting pages (saving only selected pages as a new PDF)
• Splitting a PDF (creating smaller PDFs, often with a visual preview)
• Compressing a PDF (reducing file size without changing page count)

If you’re unsure whether to delete pages or extract them, jump to the comparison table below: Delete vs Extract vs Split.

Method 1: Delete pages by number or range (fastest)

LifetimePDF’s Delete Pages tool supports the most common way people remove pages: type page numbers (single pages) and page ranges (with hyphens), separated by commas.

Delete PDF pages using page ranges (step-by-step)

1. Go to Delete Pages
2. Upload your PDF
3. In the “Pages to delete” field, use one of these formats:

• Delete a single page: 1
• Delete a range: 5-8
• Delete multiple pages + ranges: 2,5-8,11
• Real-world example: remove blank scans by deleting 2,5-8

4. Click Delete Pages
5. Download your updated PDF

Need the opposite action (keep selected pages, delete everything else)? Use: Extract Pages.

Method 2: Don’t know page numbers? Use visual selection (best workaround)

Sometimes page numbers are the problem. Maybe the PDF is a scan, the numbering starts after a title page, or you just don’t want to count 47 pages to find the one you need.

In those cases, a smarter approach is to visually select pages you want to keep and download them as a fresh PDF. That effectively removes the pages you didn’t pick.

How to “delete pages” using Split PDF (visual method)

1. Open: Split PDF
2. Upload your PDF
3. Click the thumbnails for the pages you want to keep
4. Choose Split & Download (Selected as 1 PDF)
5. Download the new PDF (now missing everything you didn’t select)

This visual workflow is especially useful when you’re removing scattered pages, like: “delete page 2, 7, 13, and 22” but you don’t know the numbers upfront.

Delete vs Extract vs Split: which should you use?

These tools solve different problems. Picking the right one saves time (and prevents “why did my output look wrong?” moments).

If you’re building a multi-document packet after deleting pages, finish with: Merge PDF.

Common “remove pages” recipes (real examples)

Here are the most common reasons people search “remove pages from PDF” or “delete pages from PDF online.” Copy the recipe that matches your situation.

Recipe 1: Remove blank pages from a scanned PDF

1. Optional: fix sideways scans first using Rotate PDF
2. Delete blank pages using Delete Pages
3. If the file is still huge, shrink it with Compress PDF

Recipe 2: Remove the cover page + table of contents

Example: delete pages 1–2

1. Open Delete Pages
2. Enter 1-2
3. Download the cleaned PDF

Recipe 3: Remove an appendix to meet a portal upload limit

Example: delete pages 38–60, then compress

1. Delete the appendix with 38-60 in Delete Pages
2. Compress the result: Compress PDF

Recipe 4: Remove confidential pages before sharing

1. Delete pages containing sensitive sections using Delete Pages
2. If you need to hide details on remaining pages, use Redact PDF
3. Optional: password-protect the final version with PDF Protect

Recipe 5: “Keep only these pages” (better than deleting tons of pages)

If you’re trying to delete 90% of the document, don’t manually list dozens of page numbers. Instead, extract what you want to keep:

1. Use Extract Pages with something like 3-7,12
2. Or click the pages visually in Split PDF

Avoid these mistakes (and how to fix them)

Mistake 1: Counting the wrong “page numbers”

Some PDFs show printed page numbers (like “Page 1 of 10”) that don’t match the actual PDF page index because there’s a cover sheet, appendix, or unnumbered pages.

• If you’re unsure, use Split PDF thumbnails to confirm the real order.
• When in doubt, delete one page first, check the output, then continue.

Mistake 2: Trying to delete every page

A PDF can’t be “zero pages,” so Delete Pages tools require at least one page to remain. If your goal is “only keep page 7,” use Extract Pages instead.

Mistake 3: Removing the wrong page (and panicking)

Don’t panic. The simplest fix is to repeat the process using the original file and correct page numbers. If you’ve already made several edits:

• Extract the pages you still need from your current file (Extract Pages), then
• Merge back anything you accidentally removed from the original using Merge PDF.

Mistake 4: Working with a locked PDF

If your file is password-protected, you may need to unlock it before deleting pages. If you’re authorized and know the password, use PDF Unlock.

If you don’t have permission to unlock a file, don’t attempt to bypass restrictions.

Mistake 5: Ignoring privacy and using random tools

If your PDF contains personal data, contracts, invoices, or private records, prioritize secure document processing. A good workflow is: delete pages → redact sensitive items → password protect the final share copy.

Best practice workflow: delete → compress → protect → share

If you delete pages and then stop, you often still end up with a file that’s too large or not secure enough to send. Here’s a simple “done right” workflow you can reuse:

1. Delete pages: Delete Pages
2. Compress for upload/email: Compress PDF
3. Protect with a password (optional): PDF Protect
4. Redact sensitive details (optional): Redact PDF
5. Combine with other files (optional): Merge PDF

Subscription vs lifetime: stop renting PDF tools

If you only delete PDF pages once a year, almost any solution will do. But if PDFs show up every week (work, school, clients, admin tasks), subscriptions add friction: logins, quotas, daily limits, or “upgrade for unlimited” prompts.

LifetimePDF is built to remove that headache: a single lifetime pass gives you access to 15+ PDF tools with no monthly fees—so deleting pages, extracting, splitting, compressing, protecting, and merging becomes a repeatable workflow.

Want the “bigger picture” explanation? Read: The Smarter Alternative to Subscription-Based PDF Tools.

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Related guides: Extract Pages From PDF Without Monthly Fees • Compress PDF Without Monthly Fees • Split PDF Online: Extract Pages Quickly and Easily • How to Merge PDFs Online (Without Losing Quality) • Browse all articles