How to Insert a Blank Page in a PDF

You need to add a blank page to a PDF. Maybe you are preparing a duplex-printed document and need odd-page chapters to start on the right side. Maybe you want space for handwritten notes. Or you need separator pages between sections. Whatever the reason, inserting blank pages into a PDF is easier than you might think.

Common Reasons to Insert Blank Pages

• Duplex printing alignment: Ensure chapters start on a right-hand (odd-numbered) page when printing double-sided.
• Note pages: Add space for handwritten notes alongside printed content.
• Section separators: Visually divide sections in a long document.
• Form continuation: Add extra pages for long-form responses.
• Binding margins: Insert blank pages to balance page counts for booklet printing.

Method 1: Online PDF Page Inserter (Fastest)

The quickest method — no software needed:

1. Go to an online PDF editor like PDF24 Tools, Sejda, or iLovePDF.
2. Upload your PDF file.
3. Use the page management tool to add blank pages.
4. Choose the position where you want to insert the blank page.
5. Download your updated PDF.

Most online tools let you add a blank page at any position and even choose the page size (Letter, A4, etc.) to match your existing document.

Method 2: Using Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat Pro gives you precise control over page insertion:

1. Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
2. Go to Tools > Organize Pages.
3. Click the Insert button in the toolbar.
4. Choose Blank Page from the dropdown.
5. Select the page size, orientation, and how many blank pages to insert.
6. Choose the position (before or after a specific page).
7. Click OK to insert.

You can also drag blank pages to any position in the page thumbnail view after inserting them.

Method 3: Using Mac Preview

Preview does not have a direct "insert blank page" button, but there is a reliable workaround:

1. Create a blank PDF page. You can do this by opening TextEdit, creating a blank document, and printing to PDF.
2. Open your main PDF in Preview.
3. Open the blank PDF in a second Preview window.
4. Show thumbnails in both windows (View > Thumbnails).
5. Drag the blank page thumbnail from the second window into the thumbnail sidebar of your main document at the desired position.
6. Save the main document.

This drag-and-drop method works reliably and preserves the page dimensions of whichever document you drag from.

Method 4: Using Python (Automated)

For batch operations or scripting, use PyMuPDF:

import fitzdoc = fitz.open("document.pdf")# Insert blank page after page 3 (0-indexed, so after index 2)blank_page = doc.new_page(pno=3, width=612, height=792)  # US Letterdoc.save("output.pdf")

Dimensions are in points (72 points per inch). Common sizes:

• US Letter: 612 x 792 points (8.5 x 11 inches)
• A4: 595 x 842 points (210 x 297 mm)
• Legal: 612 x 1008 points (8.5 x 14 inches)

Method 5: Using Ghostscript

Ghostscript can insert blank pages by combining your PDF with a blank page PDF:

# First create a blank page PDFgs -sOutputFile=blank.pdf -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH -dFirstPage=1 -dLastPage=1 -c "<</PageSize [612 792]>> setpagedevice showpage"# Then merge at the desired position using qpdf or pdftk

For most users, the online or Adobe Acrobat methods are more practical than the Ghostscript approach. But if you are already automating PDF processing with Ghostscript, this integrates cleanly into existing workflows.

Inserting Multiple Blank Pages at Once

Need to add a blank page after every existing page (for note-taking)? Or blank pages at every chapter break? Here is a Python script that inserts a blank page after every page:

import fitzdoc = fitz.open("input.pdf")total = len(doc)for i in range(total - 1, -1, -1):    page = doc[i]    rect = page.rect    doc.new_page(pno=i + 1, width=rect.width, height=rect.height)doc.save("output.pdf")

The script iterates in reverse order so that inserted pages do not shift the indices of pages that have not been processed yet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will inserting a blank page change the existing page numbers?

The physical page count will increase, but any page numbers embedded in the text of your document will not automatically update. If page numbers are important, you may need to update them after inserting blank pages.

Can I insert a blank page of a different size?

Yes. PDFs can contain pages of different sizes. Adobe Acrobat and most PDF editors let you choose the dimensions of the blank page independently of the existing pages. This is useful for mixed-format documents.

Will bookmarks and links still work?

In most tools, bookmarks and internal links that point to specific pages will be automatically adjusted when you insert a new page. But always double-check after making structural changes to a PDF.