Erin Wright Writing

Writing-Related Software Tutorials

How to Duplicate Pages in Adobe Acrobat (PC & Mac)

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Pop art image of duplicated printer icons with text overlay "How to Duplicate Pages in Adobe Acrobat"This tutorial shows how to duplicate pages in Adobe Acrobat. There are several ways to accomplish this task, so we will focus on the two methods I believe are the most efficient.

The first method shows how to duplicate pages using the Copy and Paste functions. The second method shows how to duplicate pages using keyboard shortcuts. Plus, the Pro Tip at the end shows how to enable the multiple page selection option.

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This tutorial is available as a YouTube video showing all the steps in real time.

Watch more than 150 other writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel.

The images below are from Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. These steps also apply to Adobe Acrobat 2020 and Adobe Acrobat 2017. In addition, there are only slight differences between the steps for PC and Mac. Those differences will be discussed within the relevant steps.

Adobe’s free PDF display software, Acrobat Reader, doesn’t provide a way to duplicate pages.

How to Duplicate Pages Using Copy and Paste

Important Note: These steps are performed in the Organize Pages screen in this tutorial. However, these steps can also be performed in the Page Thumbnails pane.

Thumbnails Pane in Adobe Acrobat
Figure 1. Page Thumbnails Pane
  1. Select the Tools tab.
Tools tab in Adobe Acrobat
Figure 2. Tools tab
  1. Select the Organize Pages button in the Tools Center.
Organize Pages button in the Tools Center in Adobe Acrobat
Figure 3. Organize Pages button
  1. Select the page thumbnails you want to duplicate in the Organize Pages screen. The pages will have a blue border when selected.
    • To select multiple consecutive pages, select the first page and then press and hold the Shift key as you select the last page.
    • To select multiple nonconsecutive pages, select the first page and then press and hold the Ctrl key (PC) or Command key (Mac) as you select additional pages.
    • Optional: Select multiple consecutive and nonconsecutive pages without using the keyboard by first selecting the Enable multiple page selection option at the bottom of the screen. If this option is missing, see the Pro Tip at the end of this tutorial to learn how to turn it on.
Pages selected in the Organize Pages screen in Adobe Acrobat
Figure 4. Selected pages
  1. Right-click (PC) or Control-click (Mac) the selected pages, and then select Copy from the shortcut menu.

Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl + C (PC) or + Command C (Mac).

Copy option in the thumbnail shortcut menu in Adobe Acrobat
Figure 5. Copy option
  1. Click the blue bar where you want to insert the duplication and select Paste from the shortcut menu.

Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl + V (PC) or + Command V (Mac).

Paste option in the insertion shortcut menu in the Organize Pages screen in Adobe Acrobat
Figure 6. Paste option

Your duplicate pages should be pasted into your PDF.

Duplicated pages in the Organize Pages screen in Adobe Acrobat
Figure 7. Duplicated pages

6. Save your PDF to save your changes.

How to Duplicate Pages Using Keyboard Shortcuts

  1. Select the Tools tab (see figure 2).
  2. Select the Organize Pages button (see figure 3).
  3. Select the page thumbnails you want to duplicate in the Organize Pages screen. The pages will have a blue border when selected (see figure 4).
    • To select multiple consecutive pages, select the first page and then press and hold the Shift key as you select the last page.
    • To select multiple nonconsecutive pages, select the first page and then press and hold the Ctrl key (PC) or Command key (Mac) as you select additional pages.
    • Optional: Select multiple consecutive and nonconsecutive pages without using the keyboard by first selecting the Enable multiple page selection option at the bottom of the screen. If this option is missing, see the Pro Tip at the bottom of this tutorial to learn how to turn it on.
  1. Press and hold the Ctrl key (PC) or the Option key (Mac) as you drag the pages to a new position. Then, release the pages and then the Ctrl key or the Option key when you see the blue line where you want to insert the duplication.

It’s important to release the pages before releasing the Ctrl or Option key on your keyboard.

Duplicate pages dragged to new position in the the Organize Pages screen in Adobe Acrobat
Figure 8. Duplicate pages dragged to new position

Your duplicate pages should be inserted into your PDF (see figure 7).

  1. Save your PDF to save your changes.

Pro Tip: How to Enable Multiple Page Selection

The Enable multiple page selection option at the bottom of the Organize Pages screen (see figure 4) lets you select multiple consecutive or nonconsecutive pages without using the keyboard.

If you don’t see this option, you can turn it on in your software’s preferences:

  1. Select Ctrl + K (PC) or Command + K (Mac).
  2. Select the General tab in the Preferences dialog box.
General tab in the Preferences dialog box in Adobe Acrobat
Figure 9. General tab
  1. Select Always in the Touch Mode menu.
Touch Mode menu in the Preferences menu in Adobe Acrobat
Figure 10. Always option in Touch Mode
  1. Select the OK button.
OK button in the Preferences dialog box in Adobe Acrobat
Figure 11. OK button
  1. If the Organize Pages screen is open, select the Close button.
Close button in the Organize Pages toolbar in Adobe Acrobat
Figure 12. Close button
  1. Select the Tools tab (see figure 2)
  2. Select the Organize Pages button in the Tools Center (see figure 3).

The Enable multiple page selection option should now appear at the bottom of the Organize Pages screen.

Related Resources

How to Extract Pages from PDFs in Adobe Acrobat

How to Create a Blank PDF in Adobe Acrobat

Updated March 06, 2022