GoblinPDF Tools shows every page of the PDFs you give it as a thumbnail. Check the pages to keep, drag them into the order you want, and save the result as one new PDF or as one PDF per page. Use it to take pages out of a PDF, split one up, or put several together. Everything happens on your Mac, and your original files are never changed.
Open PDF Tools#
Any of these work:
- Right-click Goblin's menu bar item and choose Image & PDF Tools›PDF Tools….
- Open Settings›Capture›General and press PDF Tools… under PDF Tools.
- Ask Goblin: "open PDF tools".
Then drop PDF files on the window, or press Choose PDFs… (Add PDFs… once pages are loaded) and pick them. The pages appear as thumbnails, each with a check mark.
Start from a menu bar drop#
Drag PDFs to Goblin’s menu bar icon or its Drop on Goblin target. Split loads them with separate-page output selected; Combine loads them for one combined PDF. This replaces the window’s current selection, so finish any work there first. Review the pages and save location before saving.
Compress in the drop menu instead asks where to save smaller copies. It can reduce image quality while keeping text selectable, and leaves the originals unchanged. See Drop files on Goblin.
Remove pages from a PDF#
- Open PDF Tools and add the PDF.
- Click a page to uncheck it. Unchecked pages are dimmed and left out. Click again to bring one back.
- To look closer, press the magnifying glass on a page (Preview page) and Done when you finish.
- Next to Save as, type the name for the new file (Selected Pages to begin with).
- Press the folder button (Choose Folder…) and pick where to save it.
- Press Save Combined. The new PDF has only the checked pages, in the order shown. Show in Finder appears when it is done.
The header counts the pages (3 of 10 pages selected). Select All and Deselect All do what they say. The menu beside them (the circle with dots) has Remove Unchecked Pages, which drops them from the list, and Clear All. Both change the list only, not the files.
Combine PDFs#
- Add the first PDF, then press Add PDFs… and add the rest. All their pages join one list.
- Drag pages into the order you want, or use the arrow buttons on a page (Move earlier, Move later). Uncheck any you don't want.
- To slip another PDF in the middle, press the page's menu and choose Insert PDF Pages After This Page… (it is in the right-click menu too).
- Set the Save as name and the folder.
- Press Save Combined.
Reorder pages#
Drag a page thumbnail onto another to move it, or press the left and right arrows on a page. The saved file follows the order you see.
Split a PDF into single pages#
- Add the PDF. Uncheck any pages you don't want a file for.
- Set a name and a folder.
- Press Save Separately. Goblin creates a new folder, named from Save as, with one PDF per checked page.
The two save buttons swap: after you ask Goblin to split, Save Separately is the highlighted one. Either way, both buttons are there.
Note: PDF Tools never overwrites or deletes your originals. Text and supported page content are kept as they are, not turned into pictures. Password-locked, unreadable or restricted PDFs can be rejected. If a file changes after you added it, saving stops before anything is written; remove that file from the list and add the updated one again.
Ask Goblin to prepare the pages#
You can set all of this up by typing or saying commands to Goblin (see GoblinAI settings). They work without Apple Intelligence and change only the list of pages. Page numbers refer to the original document, starting at 1. Goblin never saves a PDF until you ask for a save and press the save button.
| Say or type | What it does |
|---|---|
| "split this PDF and remove page 2" | With one PDF loaded, checks every page except 2 and makes Save Separately the main button. Otherwise a file picker asks which PDF you mean. |
| "keep pages 1, 3-5 from this PDF", "remove page 2 from this PDF" | Selects or unchecks pages. If a page doesn't exist, Goblin shows an error and keeps your selection. |
| "combine PDFs" | Opens the tool for adding documents and reviewing their order. It never guesses files on your computer. |
| "add PDF file /absolute/path/Report.pdf", "choose PDF files" | Adds a file by path, or opens the picker. A corrupt or unreadable file leaves the list as it was. |
| "select PDF pages 1, 3-5", "exclude PDF pages 2, 4" | Changes the checks for a single-source list. |
| "reorder PDF pages 3, 1, 2" | Gives the full new order. Every current page must appear exactly once. |
| "select all PDF pages", "uncheck all PDF pages", "remove unchecked PDF pages", "clear PDF pages" | Bulk changes. Removing affects the list only. |
| "show PDF status" | Lists item IDs, file names, selection and order, plus loading and export progress and the last saved output. |
| "toggle PDF page ID", "remove PDF page ID", "preview PDF page ID", "move PDF page earlier ID", "move PDF page later ID", "close PDF preview" | Work on one page using an ID from the status list. IDs are checked again when the command runs. |
| "insert PDF file /absolute/path/Extra.pdf after ITEM-ID" | Inserts a file after a page. |
| "set PDF output name Report", "set PDF output mode combined" (or "separate"), "set PDF destination /absolute/path/Exports", "choose PDF destination" | Sets the save options. The destination folder must already exist and be writable. |
| "save combined PDF", "save separate PDFs" | Prepares the save: Goblin names the page count, output name and destination, and you press the save button. If no destination is set, its folder picker opens. No success is reported until the export finishes. |
| "Cancel PDF operation", "Show PDF output in Finder" | Stops pending work and closes an open picker (finished exports stay saved), or reveals the last saved output. |