Split PDF

What is a PDF splitter?

A PDF splitter cuts one PDF document into smaller documents. You can pull out a few pages, break a long report into chapters, or turn every page into its own file. It is the opposite of merging, and it is the quickest way to send someone only the part of a PDF that they need.

Our splitter works in your browser. You choose a PDF, tell the tool how to split it, and the new files appear in seconds. You can download each file on its own or all of them together in one ZIP file. Your PDF is never uploaded to a server.

Features of this free split PDF tool

• Four ways to split: Split by ranges, extract pages into one file, split every N pages, or save every page separately.
• Flexible page ranges: Type ranges such as 1-3, 5, 8 and the tool understands them.
• Choose the page order: In extract mode, pages follow the order you type, so 3, 1, 2 creates a new order.
• Single files or a ZIP: Download one file, or all new files together in a ZIP.
• Private by design: Your PDF is processed in your browser and is never sent to a server.
• No signup and no watermark: The new PDF files are clean, with nothing added to them.

The four ways to split a PDF

• Split by ranges: Every range you type becomes its own PDF. Typing 1-3, 4-6, 7 creates three files: pages 1 to 3, pages 4 to 6, and page 7.
• Extract pages: All the pages you list are combined into one new PDF. Typing 2, 5-6 creates a single file with pages 2, 5 and 6.
• Every N pages: The PDF is cut into equal parts. With N set to 5, a 20-page file becomes four files of five pages each.
• Every page: Each page becomes its own PDF, which is useful for forms, scans and invoices that were scanned into one file.

Why split a PDF?

• Sending only what is needed: Share one chapter, one invoice or one signed page instead of the whole document.
• Making big files smaller: Break a very large PDF into parts that fit email and upload limits.
• Separating scanned documents: When many papers were scanned into one PDF, split them into one file per document.
• Removing pages: Extract every page except the ones you do not want, to create a version without them.
• Reordering pages: Extract pages in a new order to rearrange a document.
• Organizing reports and books: Save each chapter or section as a separate file.

How to write page ranges

Page numbers are separated by commas. Use a dash to include a range of pages. Spaces are ignored. These examples show how it works:

• 1-3: Pages 1, 2 and 3.
• 1-3, 5: Pages 1, 2, 3 and page 5.
• 2, 4, 6: Pages 2, 4 and 6.
• 10-12, 1-2: Pages 10, 11, 12, then pages 1 and 2 (in extract mode, in that order).

Is it private, and how does it work?

The splitter reads your PDF in your browser and copies the pages you choose into new documents, using the open-source pdf-lib library. Your file is not uploaded to our servers. Only when you click Download all as ZIP does the tool load a small ZIP library from a public content delivery network, so you need an internet connection for that step.

Tips for splitting PDFs

• Check the page count first: The tool shows how many pages your PDF has, so you can type the right ranges.
• Keep your original: Splitting creates new files and never changes the original, but keep it safe in case you need the full document.
• Name your files clearly: The new files are named after your PDF and the pages they contain, such as report-pages-1-3.pdf.
• Shrink the result if needed: If a part is still too large, convert its pages to images with PDF to JPG and compress them, or reduce the file in your PDF program.
• Put pages back together later: Use the Merge PDF tool to join the files again in any order.

Limits of this tool

You can split a PDF of up to 50 MB and create up to 200 files at a time. Password-protected PDFs cannot be opened, so remove the password first. The pages and their content are copied, but bookmarks and some interactive form features of the original may not be kept in the new files.