To save individual pages from a PDF in Adobe Acrobat, open the PDF, select All tools > Organize pages, select the pages you want, and choose Extract pages. Check Extract pages as separate files if you want each page saved as its own PDF, then select Extract and save the result.
That is the shortest reliable route in the current desktop version of Acrobat. If you want the entire document broken into one file per page, the Split tool in the same place does it in one pass. Both methods are covered below, along with what to do in the older Acrobat XI layout, how to check the result, and what to try when the option is missing or grayed out.
Which Acrobat Versions This Covers
This article was first written for Acrobat XI, which is also called Acrobat 11. Adobe ended support for Acrobat XI and Reader XI on October 15, 2017, which means that version no longer gets technical support or security updates. Adobe recommends moving to the latest version. You can read the details on Adobe’s end of support page for Acrobat XI.
The main steps here follow Adobe’s current help for Acrobat on desktop: Extract pages from PDFs and Split PDFs. The feature itself is the same in older releases, but the menus moved. A separate section below explains where to look if your copy still has the older layout.
Before you start, check these points:
- You need Acrobat, not only the free Reader. Adobe states that you cannot extract a page with Adobe Reader. If Reader is all you have, skip to the section on options without Acrobat.
- The PDF must allow changes. Go to File > Document Properties and open the Security tab to view any restrictions. A protected file may not let you extract or split pages.
- Decide whether the original should change. Extracting normally leaves the original file alone. One checkbox, described below, removes the pages from it instead.
How to Extract Pages From a PDF in Acrobat
Extracting means copying chosen pages out of a PDF into a new PDF. Use this method when you want one page, a few pages, or a specific range.
- Open the PDF in Acrobat and select All tools > Organize pages. The page thumbnails, which are small previews of every page, appear in the document area.
- Select the thumbnail of the page you want. To pick several pages, use the Pages selected field: type the page numbers, or choose an option from its drop-down menu.
- Select Extract pages in the left pane. A small box with two checkboxes appears.
- Check Extract pages as separate files if every selected page should become its own PDF. Leave it unchecked to put all the selected pages into one new PDF.
- Leave Delete pages after extracting unchecked unless you want those pages removed from the original document.
- Select Extract.
- Save the new PDF when prompted. Give it a name that tells you which pages it holds.
Adobe’s own extraction tutorial adds two selection shortcuts that work on the thumbnails. Click the first page, hold Shift, and click the last page to select a run of consecutive pages. Hold Ctrl on Windows or Cmd on a Mac and click each page to select pages that are not next to each other.
What the two checkboxes do
| Checkbox | Checked | Unchecked |
|---|---|---|
| Extract pages as separate files | Creates an individual PDF for each extracted page | Puts all selected pages into one new PDF |
| Delete pages after extracting | Removes the extracted pages from the original PDF | Keeps the original PDF intact |
Warning: with Delete pages after extracting checked, the original document loses those pages once you save it. If you are not sure, leave the box unchecked. You can always delete pages later, but getting them back means inserting them again.
What comes along with the pages
According to Adobe, extracted pages include all content, form fields, comments, and links from the original. Bookmarks and article threads associated with those pages are not extracted. If the new file needs bookmarks, plan to add them again.
How to Split a PDF Into One File Per Page
Splitting divides the whole document into several smaller PDFs by a rule you choose. It is the faster choice when you want every page of a long PDF saved as its own file, because you do not have to select anything.
- Open the PDF and select All tools > Organize pages.
- Select Split in the left pane.
- Open the Split by menu and choose Number of pages. Set the number to 1 so each new file holds a single page.
- Select Output options. Choose the destination folder for the new files and the naming convention Acrobat should use for them.
- Select Split.
Set the output folder before you select Split. A long document produces a long list of files, and an empty, dedicated folder keeps them from mixing with other documents.
The Split by menu has two other choices:
- File Size creates multiple PDFs of a size you specify. This helps when a file is too large to attach to an email.
- Top level bookmarks splits the PDF at its top-level bookmarks. A bookmark is a saved jump point in the PDF’s navigation list, and a top-level bookmark is one that is not nested under another. This suits documents where each chapter or section has a different length.
To split several PDFs with the same rule, select Split multiple files, select Add files, and choose the PDFs you want to split.
Extract or Split: Which One to Use
| Your goal | Use | Key setting |
|---|---|---|
| Save one page as a new PDF | Extract pages | Select the single thumbnail |
| Save a few chosen pages together | Extract pages | Leave both checkboxes unchecked |
| Save a few chosen pages as separate files | Extract pages | Check Extract pages as separate files |
| Save every page as its own file | Split | Number of pages set to 1 |
| Break a document into chapters | Split | Top level bookmarks |
| Get under an upload or email size limit | Split | File Size |
Where to Find These Tools in Acrobat XI and Other Older Versions
Adobe’s current help describes the newer Acrobat layout, where tools are listed under All tools. Older versions arrange things differently, and Adobe no longer publishes step-by-step help for Acrobat XI, so treat the notes below as pointers and not exact instructions.
- Acrobat DC with the earlier layout: Adobe’s older extraction tutorial has you open the Organize Pages tool from the right pane or from the Tools center, select Extract in the top menu, highlight the pages, set the same two checkboxes, and click the blue Extract button. The extracted pages open in a new tab, and you save them with File > Save As.
- Acrobat XI: answers on Adobe’s own user forum place these commands in the Tools pane under Pages, as Extract and Split Document. Those are forum answers, not current Adobe documentation, so the labels in your copy may differ slightly.
The options have kept the same meaning across versions: extract as separate files, delete after extracting, and split by number of pages, file size, or top-level bookmarks. If you cannot find a command, look for a tool with Pages or Organize in its name.
Options if You Do Not Have the Acrobat Desktop App
Each of these is a separate route. Pick the one that matches what you have.
Acrobat online tools
Adobe offers a browser tool for this at Extract PDF pages. You upload the PDF, sign in with an Adobe account, select the pages, select Extract, and download the new file. Adobe lists a limit of 500 pages and 100MB for the file you upload. A companion Split PDF tool uses divider lines between pages and can produce up to 20 files. Keep in mind that these tools upload your document to Adobe’s servers, so think twice before using them for confidential files.
Print to PDF
Adobe also describes a print-based method that works in a PDF viewer such as Acrobat Reader. Go to File > Print, choose a PDF printer such as Microsoft Print to PDF in place of a real printer, enter the page or page range you want, and click Print. You are then asked where to save the new PDF. On a Mac, Adobe’s instructions use Preview: choose File > Print, enter the page under Pages, and pick Save as PDF from the PDF drop-down menu.
Printing makes a fresh copy and not a true extract, so open the new file and check it if you depend on fillable fields, comments, or links.
Acrobat on a phone or tablet
The Acrobat mobile app can extract pages through More tools > Organize pages: tap the pages, then tap Extract. Adobe notes that this needs an Acrobat subscription. See Adobe’s mobile extract pages guide for the Android and iOS steps.
How to Confirm It Worked and Undo It
- Open one of the new files. Check that it holds the page you expected and that the page count matches.
- Count the files. After a one-page split, the destination folder should hold as many PDFs as the original had pages.
- Check the original. If you left Delete pages after extracting unchecked, the original should still have every page.
- Test anything interactive. If the pages contain form fields or links, click through them in the new file.
Extracting and splitting create new files, so undoing them is simple: delete the new PDFs you do not want. The exception is an extraction made with Delete pages after extracting checked. If you have not saved the original since then, close it without saving to keep the pages. If you already saved it, you will need to put the pages back by combining the files again. Our guide on how to combine multiple PDF files into one with Adobe Acrobat covers that.
Troubleshooting
Organize pages, Extract pages, or Split is missing
First confirm which app is open. The free Reader does not extract pages, and it looks a lot like Acrobat. If you are in Acrobat and the menu names do not match this article, you probably have an older layout. Look in the Tools area for Organize Pages or Pages, as described in the older versions section above.
The commands are grayed out
The PDF is probably restricted. Open File > Document Properties and check the Security tab. If the document does not permit changes, you need the permissions password from whoever created it, or an unrestricted copy. Do not try to get around protection on a document that is not yours to edit.
Split by top level bookmarks does nothing useful
This rule depends on the PDF having top-level bookmarks. If the document has none, or only one, choose Number of pages or File Size, or add bookmarks at the points where you want the breaks and run the split again.
You cannot find the new files
Run the split again and open Output options first to see which destination folder is set. For an extraction, the new PDF is not stored anywhere until you save it, so finish the save prompt before closing Acrobat.
The bookmarks are gone from the extracted pages
That is expected. Adobe states that bookmarks and article threads tied to the pages are not extracted. The page content, form fields, comments, and links are.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will extracting pages change my original PDF?
Only if you check Delete pages after extracting. With that box unchecked, Acrobat keeps the original intact and places the selected pages in a new PDF.
How do I save each page of a PDF as a separate file?
For every page in the document, use Split with Number of pages set to 1. For only some pages, select them, choose Extract pages, and check Extract pages as separate files. For approaches outside Acrobat, see how to split a PDF into one file per page.
Can I do this with the free Adobe Reader?
Not with the extract tool. Adobe says you cannot extract a page with Adobe Reader. You can print a page range to a PDF printer from Reader, or use Adobe’s online Extract PDF pages tool in a browser.
Is Acrobat 11 still safe to use for this?
Acrobat XI still opens and edits PDFs, but Adobe stopped providing security updates for it on October 15, 2017 and recommends updating to the latest version. That matters most when you open PDFs from people you do not know.
Can I put the pages back together later?
Yes. Separate PDFs can be merged into one file again with Acrobat’s combine feature, and you can arrange the files in any order before merging.
Can I change how Acrobat displays PDFs when they open?
Yes. See how to change the default zoom level in Adobe Acrobat. To open PDFs in a different app, here is how to change the default PDF viewer in Windows 11.
Next Step
Open your PDF, go to All tools > Organize pages, and try Extract pages on a single page with both checkboxes unchecked. That leaves your original untouched and shows you exactly what the new file looks like before you split a whole document.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.