delete layers globally?

Ross · 2024-06-25T13:54:57+00:00

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Is there a way to delete all layers from all pages of a multi-page document in a single action? I can only see how to do it one page at a time.

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Accepted answers

Glynis D.

@Ross I have found that if you combine files, it can remove all layers in the new file. The following steps may help save some time.

Create a blank single page document to use anytime you need to do this.
Open the document with layers you want gone and the blank document.
Go to File>Combine

4. Make sure that merge layers is not checked.

5. Select add open files and ok.

6. Delete the blank page from the new combined file and save it.

The new file will have no layers, and you can use the same blank document over and over for this purpose.

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Ashley Cox

This depends on how the layers were created.

If you have combined a file made up of pages that already had layers on them and transferred those layers into the combined file, they will be grayed out on the layers panel when you aren't on the same page/pages they transferred over with.

If, however, you created the layers on an already-multipage document, those layers should already work globally. So, if you delete one layer, it would delete from all pages it was on. Additionally, if you wanted to grab all the pages at once, you should be able to use Shift or CTRL to highlight multiple layers at once and then choose to delete. This would theoretically delete those selected layers from all pages in one swoop (especially if you checked all the boxes from the pop-up that appears when deleting layers.

Ross

Ashley, thanks, this is somewhat helpful, but not exactly what I was hoping for.

I get pdf files of multiple sheets from people who printed them out of e.g. Autodesk applications. It's very common in our office, and I also get from external Project consultants. But I'm often the one who has to manage & collate different pdf files, most of them having layers, and before submittals — delete the layers because permitting agencies reviewers don't work with files having layers.

So, rather than trying to coach & educate multiple people contributing to the project about the way they print from their various Autodesk applications, it'd be just easier if I could easily delete all layers from any multipage document, in one stroke.

For instance, here's the layers in one sheet of a 45 sheet set…

And here's the layers in another sheet of the same set..

(there's still more than shown). That's the same person printing — she's printing the same way. It's just evident that that the Autodesk files are "accumulating more "stuff" all the time, and that stuff leads to more layers.

So I think you see from the above my problem is that in a document with say 10 or 50 pages, with layering like this, the layers seem infinite, & being able to delete one specific layer from all sheets at one time, isn't quite working for me. I guess my term "globally" that I used initially might not have been the right terminology.

Again, rather trying to control the way that various people print to pdf's, it'd be easier if I could easily delete all layers in one go.

Thanks