Why Bother Extracting Pages Instead of Sending the Whole File?
- Smaller files = faster sending & downloading
- Less inbox clutter and frustration for the recipient
- Better privacy — no need to share sensitive pages accidentally
- Professional look: you send exactly what they asked for
Quick win: Extracting pages is one of the best ways to shrink large PDFs before emailing — often better than compression alone!
1
Fastest & Most Visual: PDFEase Extract Tool (Free)
Perfect when you don’t remember exact page numbers — just click the pages you want!
- 1 Go to the PDFEase Split / Extract Tool
- 2 Upload your large PDF (drag & drop works great)
- 3 Select “Extract Pages” → click thumbnails of the pages you need
- 4 Click Extract → download your new, small PDF instantly
2
Zero Software Method: Browser Print to PDF
Works in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari — on any computer, no downloads needed.
- Open your PDF in the browser (drag file or double-click)
- Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac)
- Change Destination/Printer to Save as PDF
- In Pages section → choose Custom and type e.g.
3,5-8,12 - Hit Save → new PDF created with only those pages
3
Mac Users: Drag & Drop in Preview (Fastest Native Way)
- Open PDF in Preview
- View → Thumbnails (or sidebar)
- Select the page(s) you want (hold Cmd for multiple)
- Drag selected thumbnails straight to Desktop or any folder
- New PDF appears instantly — done!
This method is surprisingly satisfying and takes literally seconds.
Extract vs Split: Quick Comparison
Extract Pages
Pick only the pages you want → one new focused file.
Best for: sending specific sections, invoices, chapters.
Split PDF
Break entire document into many separate files (one per page or ranges).
Best for: archiving, bulk distribution, separating documents.