How to Easily Save a Single Page from a PDF Document

PDF documents are great for sharing information in a format that can’t be easily edited. However, sometimes you only need part of a PDF file, like a single page. Fortunately, there are a few quick and easy ways to save one page from a PDF document on both Windows and Mac computers.

In this article, we’ll walk through the simple steps to extract and save a single page from a PDF using common software like Adobe Acrobat, Preview, and PDFelement. We’ll also look at some online tools you can use when you don’t have access to a PDF editor. Follow along to learn how to save a portion of a PDF in just a few clicks!

Using Preview on Mac

If you have a Mac, the quickest way to save one page of a PDF is by using the Preview app that comes pre-installed on every Mac Here’s how

1. Open the PDF in Preview. You can do this by double-clicking on the file in Finder.

2. Click on the thumbnail of the page you want to save in the sidebar This will take you directly to that page.

3. Go to File > Print. A print dialog box will appear.

4. In the dialog box, click on the drop-down menu next to Pages and select the page number you want to print. This will save only that specific page.

5. Change the printer to “Save as PDF” instead of your normal printer.

6. Click Save and choose where you want to save the new single page PDF file.

And that’s it! By using the print dialog box and changing the printer, you can easily extract and save any individual page from a PDF super quickly on a Mac.

Using Adobe Acrobat on Windows

If you’re using a Windows PC, the easiest way to save one page of a PDF is by using Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. Here are the steps:

1. Open the PDF file in Acrobat Reader.

2. Click on Tools > Export PDF.

3. In the dialog box, select the page number you want to save.

4. Click “Export” and save the file.

Acrobat Reader allows you to export a custom range of pages as a new PDF, so you can select any single page easily. This method works on any Windows 10 or 11 computer with Acrobat Reader installed.

The main downside is that Acrobat Reader is not always free – it comes as a subscription in newer versions of Adobe Acrobat. However, older versions can be downloaded for free and will still have the export PDF tool.

Using PDFelement

PDFelement is a popular PDF editing program for Windows and Mac. It has a handy feature that lets you extract and save a single page quickly:

1. Open the PDF in PDFelement.

2. In the left sidebar, right-click on the page thumbnail you want to save.

3. Choose “Extract Pages As Separate Files” from the menu.

4. Select the destination folder and click OK.

This will save only the selected page as a new PDF. PDFelement has a free trial so you can test it out before buying the full software. The paid versions also allow you to edit, combine, and convert PDFs.

Using Online Tools

If you don’t have access to a PDF editor, there are also several free online tools you can use to save a single PDF page:

• ILovePDF – This website has an intuitive toolbox that lets you extract specific pages from a PDF to download individually. Just upload the file, select the page number, and click the extract button.

• SmallPDF – Another popular PDF toolbox site. Click the “Split PDF” option, then enter the page number you want and download it.

• PDF2Go – Upload your PDF here and input the page range as just the single page you need. Hit Split and it will separate and download the page.

The benefit of these online PDF tools is that you don’t need to install any software. Just upload the file to the website and extract the portion you need. The downside is that you have to upload the full PDF which can be slow for large files.

Tips for Saving a PDF Page

Here are some additional pointers to keep in mind when extracting a single page from a PDF file:

• Double check the extracted page number before saving. It’s easy to select the wrong page by accident.

• Most programs will let you select a page range. Input the number twice to only save that specific page.

• Recognize text-heavy pages by skimming the page thumbnails in the sidebar. Images usually appear as grey squares.

• Try to save the new file with a descriptive name that references the original PDF. For example “Report Summary Page”.

• If you extract a page from a scanned PDF, it will save as an image that cannot be edited. Extract from a searchable PDF when possible.

• For scanned documents, use the OCR feature in Acrobat or PDFelement to recognize text before extracting a page.

• Increase the zoom level in the PDF viewer to make sure you select the correct page number in complex documents.

• Many browser PDF viewers like Chrome don’t allow you to save pages. Use Acrobat or PDFelement instead.

Reasons You May Only Need Part of a PDF

There are a few common reasons why you would want to extract and save only a certain page or section of a PDF file:

• Sharing a specific page – When you only need to send one relevant page from a large report or eBook.

• Printing selectively – To save ink by only printing the essential pages you need.

• Redacting information – Removing sensitive pages from a document before sharing.

• Collecting reference material – Compiling relevant pages into a new condensed PDF.

• Saving visuals – Keeping charts, diagrams, or images separate from their original document.

• Splitting large documents – Breaking up a long PDF into smaller, more manageable files.

• Pulling information – Extracting only the most important pages or paragraphs of text from research.

So whether you want to share, print, or edit just a portion of a PDF file, it’s simple to pull out the exact page you need.

Avoiding Common Mistakes

When extracting and saving a page from a PDF, there are a few common errors to watch out for:

• Accidentally selecting the wrong page number – Double and triple check before extracting.

• Forgetting to change the printer to “Save as PDF” – This ensures you save a file rather than printing.

• Not actually saving the extracted file – The page isn’t saved until you choose a download location.

• Deleting or moving the original PDF – Always keep the full document until you’ve verified the extracted page.

• Assuming page numbers match printed page numbers – Some PDF viewers use the actual electronic page number which may differ.

• Poor print quality of scanned pages – Be sure to use OCR or enhance scans before extracting pages.

• Security restrictions preventing edits – You may need the document password or digital rights to extract pages.

As long as you take care in choosing the correct page and complete the Save As step, extracting a page from a PDF is quick and painless. Avoiding these common mistakes will ensure you successfully get the exact PDF page you’re looking for.

Converting Other File Types to PDF

If you don’t already have a file in PDF format, most document types can easily be converted to PDF in order to extract pages:

• Microsoft Office files – Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents can all be saved as PDFs directly from the program’s File menu.

• Images – JPG, PNG, TIFF and other image formats can be converted using free online tools or the Windows 10 print dialog.

• Ebooks – DRM-free ebooks can be converted to PDF using free software like Calibre.

• Webpages – In Chrome, use Print and change the printer to “Save as PDF” to convert a webpage or part of one.

• Text files – Open the .txt file and print using a PDF printer to convert the document to PDF format.

As long as you can view and print the file, you should be able to create a PDF version containing just the pages you want. This allows you to use the extraction tools mentioned above.

Saving a PDF Page on Mobile Devices

On smartphones and tablets, the process of extracting a single page from a PDF is a bit more limited than on desktop. Here are the main options:

• Adobe Acrobat Reader – The mobile app has a “Split PDF” tool to save select pages.

• Scanner apps – Apps like Adobe Scan and Microsoft Office Lens let you capture single pages as images.

• Preview – On an iPhone or iPad, open the PDF in Preview and print only the needed page.

• iBooks – Open the PDF in iBooks, use the thumbnail view to find the page, tap the Share button and choose email to extract a page