Use control/command click to select multiple pages in ORGANIZE PAGES rather than drag pages around

[morganw4118444]

I frequently get a PDF with many blank pages which I then have to remove using the ORGANIZE PAGES interface.

Unfortunately some aspect of the Adobe interface seems too hypersensitive for this to work.  If the mouse pointer moves one tenth of one pixel while the mouse button is held down, the page is moved.  Thus, I cannot manage to select multiple pages without moving them around unless I do something like the following:

Click file

Release mouse button

Count one mississippi

Hold down command key

Click next file

release mouse button

Count one mississippi

Repeat

Obviously a full-second count for each "one mississippi" is not QUITE necessary-- but if I try to do it at a normal pace that would work with any other application on any computer platform over the past 30ish years, instead of selecting multiple files I just end up moving pages around and have to close the file without saving changes and start all over.

This seems pointlessly stupid

Thanks in advance for a practical way to accomplish desired result of quickly deleting empty pages from a PDF

[gary_sc]

Hi Morgan,

Have you tried Shift-clicking on the first and last blank page? Control/Command clicking is best for discontinuous pages (e.g., page 3, 6, 7, 9).

Let us know if that works

[morganw4118444]

Thank you.  Unfortunately, the issue is caused by users not knowing how to disable double-sided scanning.  Thus, the pages are dispersed evenly throughout the doc.

[gary_sc · Accepted solution]

HI Morgan,

OK, if I understand properly, this is going to be easy. Once you said it was every other page than all you have to do is to open your documents to the Organize Pages tool. Increase/decrease the thumbnail sizes until you have an even number of thumbnails wide. 

Then press the Shift key and marquee a block down each column you wish to delete. I made a video to show you but I forgot that I cannot send videos in these forums. However, make sure that you are above the thumbnail's range before you mouse-down and drag down across the entire column. If you make a mistake it will be very obvious for the next time.

Then once you have selected all of the "every other one" pages. Delete and move on to the next one.

Hopefully this works for you, please let me know. 

[morganw4118444]

I haven't had the chance to try this but it sounds like it ought to work and now I feel dumb for not thinking of it 😐

Thank you!

[gary_sc]

Well please let me know if this works or not. I think it should.

[morganw4118444]

Despite my initial comment about how frequently this occurs, I haven't gotten a PDF with the above problem since your reply, and unfortunately I don't keep track of which ones have this problem so I can't really go back and look at an old one.  I will update this thread later though!  Thank you!

[morganw4118444]

Like a charm!  You're the best!  I hereby award you a barnstar of gratitude 🙂

I still feel dumb for not thinking of this though.

[Bernd Alheit]

You don't need the ctrl or shift key when you activate the touch mode.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat/enable-multiple-page-selection-organize-pages-toolbar/td-p/97... 

[Kate25517391lsyk]

Enable Touch Mode in your preferences!  So much easier.  You can set it to "Always" - I just learned this and it's a game changer.