How to Extract Odd or Even Pages from a PDF

Odd and even pages get separated for one of two reasons: a printer that only does one side at a time (print the odd pages, flip the paper, print the even pages), or a scanner without a two-sided feeder that grabbed all the fronts in one pass and all the backs in another. The Extract Pages tool can pull just the pages you want into a new PDF, so either job becomes a clean two-file workflow.

How odd and even are counted

Pages are numbered by physical order in the file: page 1 is odd, page 2 is even, and so on. If the document starts with a cover, the cover is page 1 — which shifts what counts as odd from that point on. When you type the list for an odd set, you are picking pages 1, 3, 5, 7 and so on as they actually sit in the file.

Extract the odd or even pages, step by step

1. 1Open the Extract Pages tool and drop in your PDF.
2. 2For the odd set, enter the alternating list — for example 1, 3, 5, 7 — and check the live preview highlights the pages you mean.
3. 3Download the odd file, then re-open the tool and enter the even list (2, 4, 6, ...) for the second file.
4. 4Keep both files handy: they are the two halves of the document.

The page list also accepts ranges such as 1-20, so you can isolate a section first, then split that section into its odd and even halves without touching the rest of the document.

Reassembling a two-sided scan

When a flatbed scanner ran the fronts and backs in two passes, the classic fix is: extract the odd pages (the fronts) into one file and the even pages (the backs) into another, then put them back into reading order. One caution — back-sides scanned after flipping a stack often come out reversed, so check the order of the even set and reverse it if needed, then merge the two files alternating page by page.

Printing double-sided by hand

• Print the odd file first, one page per sheet.
• Take the printed stack and reload it into the tray facing the way your printer needs (check one test page).
• Print the even file on the backs, then collate if the printer leaves them in reverse order.