How to Extract a Page from a PDF Document on Your Mac

Sometimes all you need is a single page from a large PDF document but are not sure how to quickly or easily extract a single page from a multiple-page PDF document. Anyone on a Mac can use Preview to get the job done without any extra downloads or third-party software. If you have a PDF file and wish to extract a single page from it, here’s how to do that.

1. Right-click on the PDF file you wish to extract a page from and select “Open With” followed by “Preview.” It should launch the PDF document in the Preview app.

2. When Preview launches with the selected PDF document, click on “View” followed by “Thumbnails.” It should launch the thumbnail view for the pages of the PDF document.

3. You should now be able to see the individual pages in that PDF document. The easiest next step is to identify the page number you want to save as a standalone pdf page. Once you know the page, go to “File -> Print.” In the print menu, change the setting under “Pages” to the third option, “From,” and make sure to enter which page you want to separate in both boxes.

4. Normally, you would hit the “Print” button at this stage. Instead, look to the left of the print button and find the drop-down box that is already labeled “PDF.” Click on that box and locate the “Save as PDF” option.

5. Lastly, click the Print button and save the file as PDF format.

While Preview works for most macOS users, it isn’t the only option. There are some great third-party options that can help if you would prefer not to use Preview. One of the favorites to use is SmallPDF.

1. Begin by opening the site using the link above and clicking on “Choose Files.” Alternatively, you can also drag and drop a file into the box.

2. After choosing the file, it will upload, and you can choose from one of two options: extracting a page and splitting the PDF into multiple options. For our purposes, choose the first one: “Extract pages.”

3. Upon selecting “Extract pages” and clicking on “Choose option,” you are taken to a page where the PDF is broken into individual pages. Select the page you want by checking the box and clicking “Extract.” When the next page appears, choose “Download” to get the new individual PDF.

You don’t have to keep a big PDF file if all you need is one page of it. The guide above should help you extract a page from the PDF document. There are also plenty of things you can do with Preview, such as remove the password from a PDF file and convert HEIC files to JPG format.

David is a freelance tech writer with over 15 years of experience in the tech industry. He loves all things Nintendo.

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