Guide
PDF Page Ranges Explained: Merge, Split and Extract
Last updated October 5, 2026
Most "I need part of this PDF" jobs come down to writing the right page range. This guide covers the syntax used by Split PDF and Extract PDF Pages, recipes for common jobs such as deleting or reordering pages, how Merge PDF fits in, and what each error message means. Everything here was tested on this site's tools with a generated 10-page PDF.
The syntax
| You type | You get |
|---|---|
| 4 | Page 4 only |
| 3-7 | Pages 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 |
| 1,3,5 | Pages 1, 3 and 5 |
| 1-3,7 | Pages 1, 2, 3 and 7 |
| 1, 3, 5-7 | Pages 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 (spaces are fine) |
| 3,1,3 | Pages 3, 1 and 3 again, in that order |
The result is always one new PDF with the pages in the order you typed them. Page numbers refer to the position in the file, starting at 1, not to any printed page number. Split PDF and Extract PDF Pages use the same method; the first is explained for one range and the second for a list.
Recipes
- Keep a chapter: split with
12-27. - Delete page 4 of 10: there is no "delete" field, so list what to keep:
1-3,5-10. - Delete the first page:
2-10. The end page must be written, so look up the page count with PDF Information. - Move the last page to the front:
10,1-9. - Repeat a page, such as a signature page:
1-5,5. - Cut a PDF into three parts: run it three times, for example
1-4,5-8and9-10. Each run gives one file.
What the error messages mean
| Message | Cause |
|---|---|
| Page numbers must be 1 or greater | You typed 0. Pages start at 1. |
| "5-2" is not a valid range | The start is after the end. Write the smaller number first. |
| This PDF only has 10 page(s) | You named a page past the end. Check the page count. |
| "8-" is not a valid page or range | There is no "to the end" shortcut. Write the last page. |
| Use page numbers and ranges only | The text has letters or symbols other than digits, commas, hyphens and spaces. |
Merging: order and sizes
Merge PDF joins two to twenty PDFs in the order listed, with each file's pages in their own order. Each page keeps its own size, so merging A4 and Letter files gives a document with both. If you need only part of a file in the merge, extract those pages first, then merge. After merging, the PDF Page Size Analyzer lists every page's size and flags mixed sizes. If the result is too big to send, try Compress PDF.
Worked example: one file from three
You need the cover letter (page 1 of file A), the signed pages (pages 4 to 6 of file B) and all of file C in one PDF.
- Run Extract PDF Pages on file A with
1, and on file B with4-6. You now have two small files. - Merge the two extracts and file C in that order, moving them with the up and down controls until the list reads A-extract, B-extract, C.
- Open the result and scroll through it once. Check the order, and run the Page Size Analyzer if the pages came from different programs.
- If the file is over the limit of wherever you are sending it, run Compress PDF last, and look at pages with images before you send it.
Doing the extracting first keeps the merge simple, because Merge PDF always takes whole files.
Limits and things that fail
- Files up to 20 MB and 200 pages each; merges of up to 20 files.
- A PDF that needs a password to open is rejected by every PDF tool here.
- Pages are copied, not redrawn, so text stays selectable and images are not recompressed.
- Rotating works on the whole file only. To fix one page, extract it, rotate that file, and merge it back.