Zipic guide
Extract or split PDF pages on Mac with Preview
Save a few pages as another PDF with Preview on your Mac, or split a longer document into the page groups you need.
Save selected pages as a separate PDF
- Open the PDF in Preview and choose View → Thumbnails.
- Select the page thumbnails you want. Command-click for separate pages; Shift-click the first and last pages of a consecutive group.
- Drag those thumbnails from the sidebar onto the desktop to create another PDF.
- Rename the new file, open it, and check its page count and order. Leave the source PDF separate.
Split a document into several PDFs
Repeat the selection for each page group, naming and checking every output. Keep a checklist of the intended groups to catch missing or repeated pages. For one PDF per page, repeat with one thumbnail at a time.
Remove pages without changing the original
Preview saves edits automatically. Before deleting anything, choose File → Duplicate, then save the duplicate under a distinct name with File → Save. Work only in that copy.
In its thumbnail sidebar, select the unwanted pages and press Delete. Annotations on those pages are deleted too. Save and reopen the copy to check what remains.
Passwords, permissions, and signed documents
If a password or editing restriction prevents extraction, ask the document owner for an authorized editable copy. Check the new file’s protection settings before sharing.
Keep digitally signed originals intact. If the recipient needs a valid digital signature, follow the signed-PDF guidance before changing the document.
Choose a method for your task
For occasional page selection on Mac, use the Preview steps above. For repeatable command-line selection, qpdf offers a documented alternative. If you already use Acrobat and need chapter-based output, its Organize pages → Split → Top-level bookmarks option uses bookmarks to divide the document; choose an output folder in Output options, then split and inspect each result.
Extract pages with qpdf
If qpdf is already available on your Mac, the following syntax selects pages 2–4 and 7. Use only an unencrypted, unrestricted PDF you are authorized to edit, with at least seven pages. Choose a new output filename that does not already exist.
qpdf "input.pdf" --pages . 2-4,7 -- "selected-pages.pdf"The dot means the input file; numbers count from its first page, not printed page labels. Keep the original and reopen the output to check its four pages and order.
What happens to bookmarks?
Keeping an outline and splitting at bookmarks are different tasks. The qpdf command above copies the entire input outline: destinations on included pages work, but bookmarks pointing to omitted pages do not. Acrobat’s Extract operation excludes bookmarks; its Split by Top-level bookmarks option is a separate way to create chapter files. Open the outputs and test the destinations you need.
Check the output, then choose the next step
Reopen the saved PDF to confirm its pages and order. Check any text selection, search, forms, links, or bookmarks you need before sending it.
If your goal is simply a separate PDF, you are finished. For pictures of those pages, follow PDF to JPG or WebP. If the PDF is still too large, read PDF compression on Mac first, including its text-layer and signature cautions.
Zipic for Mac by PangJiong
Zipic processes images and PDFs locally, with a one-time purchase and updates through the Mac App Store.