How do I add a blank page to a PDF?
To add a blank page to a PDF you have to change the document, not the print settings. A print dialog can print double-sided but it cannot insert a page. Use a page editor to place an empty page after a chosen page, before it, at the end, or after every page. The tool below does that in your browser and sizes the blank to match its neighbour.
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Do it here: Insert Blank PDF Pages
Add blank pages at chosen positions — for double-sided printing, notes or separators.
- What has to change
- The document. No print setting can add a page to a file
- For plain duplex
- Pad each section that must start on a fresh sheet to an even page count
- For a stapled booklet
- Pad the whole document to a multiple of four
- Blank page size
- Matches its neighbour by default, or force A4, Letter, A3, A5, Legal or Tabloid
- Upload
- None. The file is read and rewritten in your browser
Why the print dialog cannot do this
Double-sided is a printer setting. It decides which side of a sheet each page lands on; it does not change how many pages the document has. That is why turning on duplex never fixes a chapter that starts on the back of the previous one. The page count is a property of the file, so the fix has to go into the file before it reaches the printer.
Working out how many blanks you need
Two rules cover nearly every case. Duplex printing wants an even page count for any section that must begin on a fresh sheet. Saddle-stitch binding, where sheets are folded and stapled through the spine, wants the whole document to be a multiple of four, because one folded sheet carries four pages.
| Pages now | Blanks for plain duplex | Blanks for a stapled booklet | Final count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | 3 | 6 or 8 |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 9 | 1 | 3 | 10 or 12 |
| 13 | 1 | 3 | 14 or 16 |
| 22 | 0 | 2 | 22 or 24 |
| 25 | 1 | 3 | 26 or 28 |
Where the blank has to go
For a booklet the padding goes at the back and nobody notices. For a multi-section document it does not: the blank belongs at the end of the section that is short, not at the end of the file. Padding the back of the document leaves every later section still opening on a back side, which is the version of this problem people usually arrive with.
Does it have to say "this page intentionally left blank"?
That convention comes from controlled documents: contracts, regulatory submissions, examination papers, aviation and military manuals. In those, a genuinely empty sheet cannot be told apart from a printing failure or a page somebody removed, so the blank carries a line of text and a page number to prove nothing is missing. For a handout, a deck or an internal report, a truly blank sheet is fine and reads more cleanly. If you do need the line, insert the blank first and then add the text with Edit PDF and Add page numbers.
Renumbering afterwards
Page numbers printed onto the page do not update when you insert a blank, because they are drawn content rather than a field. A document that says "Page 4 of 12" will still say 12 after you have made it 14 pages long. Run Add page numbers after the insert, not before it.
Related
- How to duplicate a PDF page repeats an existing page instead of adding an empty one.
- Insert blank PDF pages documents the four insert positions and the page-size options in full.
- PDF page organiser handles insert, delete and reorder in one visual pass.
- Merge PDFs joins separate files, which is sometimes what "add a page" really means.
Related questions
How many blank pages do I need for double-sided printing?
How many pages should a stapled booklet have?
Can I add a blank page to the middle of a PDF?
Should the blank page say "this page intentionally left blank"?
Do my page numbers update when I insert a blank?
Is the file uploaded anywhere?
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