There are many situations where you need to split a PDF into multiple files: extracting a few pages from a 200-page report, separating chapters from a combined document, or pulling out specific invoices from a batch scan. The Split PDF tool lets you do this for free in your browser—your file is never uploaded to a server, and no software is needed.
When Do You Need to Split a PDF?
Common reasons to split a PDF:
- Extract specific pages: Share only the relevant section of a large report without sending the whole document.
- Separate scanned documents: A batch scan combines multiple separate documents (invoices, letters, forms). You need each as its own file.
- Divide a book: Split a long PDF book by chapter for easier reading or distribution.
- Fix accidental merges: A PDF was merged incorrectly — now you need to un-merge it.
- Reduce email attachment size: Split a large PDF into smaller chunks that fit within email attachment limits.
Splitting is often the first step before compressing each section or sharing targeted parts of a document.
How to Split a PDF — Step by Step
Method 1: Extract a Page Range
Use this when you know exactly which pages you need.
- Go to Split PDF
- Upload your PDF (one file, up to 50 MB)
- Select "By page range"
- Enter your range (e.g.
1-5for pages 1 through 5, or1-3, 7, 10-12for multiple ranges) - Click Split PDF — each range becomes a separate PDF
- Download the result: a ZIP file containing one PDF per range, or a single PDF if you entered just one range
Range syntax examples:
| You type | You get |
|----------|---------|
| 1-5 | Pages 1 to 5 as one PDF |
| 1-3, 7 | Pages 1–3 as PDF 1; page 7 as PDF 2 |
| 1, 2, 3 | Each page as its own PDF |
| 5-12 | Pages 5 to 12 as one PDF (enter the last page number explicitly; open-ended ranges like 5- are not supported) |
Method 2: Split Every N Pages
Use this for uniform splitting — dividing a 100-page document into 10-page chunks, for example.
- Go to Split PDF
- Upload your PDF
- Select "Every N pages"
- Enter the chunk size (e.g.
10for 10 pages per file) - Click Split PDF — the tool creates one PDF per chunk and packages them in a ZIP
This is ideal for batch-scanned documents where each document is a known number of pages.
How to Extract a Single Page
To extract a single page from a PDF, use the page range method with a single page number:
- Upload your PDF
- Choose "By page range"
- Enter just the page number, e.g.
7 - Download — you'll get a single-page PDF (not zipped, since there is only one file)
If you want to select pages visually from thumbnails and keep them together in one PDF, the Extract PDF Pages tool is built for that.
Splitting vs Extracting: What's the Difference?
These terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but there's a useful distinction:
- Splitting typically means dividing the entire document into multiple output files (every page becomes a file, or uniform chunk splitting)
- Extracting means pulling out a subset of pages and discarding the rest
The Split PDF tool supports both via its two modes (by page range and every N pages). Each range you enter becomes its own PDF; the tool does not remove pages from the middle of a document and join the rest together.
How to Un-Merge a PDF
If you accidentally merged PDFs and want to reverse it, you can't directly "undo" a merge. But you can:
- Split the merged PDF by page range — specify the page ranges that correspond to each original document
- You'll get back each section as its own PDF
This works best when you remember which pages belonged to which original file. If you don't, open the merged PDF and note the page numbers where each section starts.
Tips for Splitting Large PDFs
Splitting a 300-page document by single pages creates 300 output files, which can be slow in the browser. Because the work happens on your device, very large files depend on your device's memory, so it can help to work in batches (for example pages 1–50, then 51–100, and so on).
Splitting scanned PDFs: Scanned PDFs are image-based, so each "page" is really a full-page image. Splitting works fine — each output file contains the correct scanned page images.
Naming output files: Output files are named after your original file, with the page range or part number added (for example report_pages_1-5.pdf for ranges, or report_part_1.pdf for uniform splits). Rename them as needed after downloading.
After Splitting: What's Next?
Once you've split your PDF, common next steps include:
- Compress PDF — reduce each section's file size before emailing
- Merge PDF — re-combine specific sections in a new order
- Add Page Numbers — re-number pages that were disrupted by splitting
- Protect PDF — password-protect individual sections for different audiences (processed on our server and deleted afterwards)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the split tool free?
Yes, completely free. No account and no watermark. The upload limit is 50 MB per file.
Are my files safe?
Splitting happens entirely in your browser using the open-source pdf-lib library. No file is ever sent to a server.
Can I split a password-protected PDF?
You'll need to unlock the PDF first (with the password you know), then split it, and optionally re-protect the individual sections. Unlock PDF and Protect PDF process the file on our server over HTTPS and delete it afterwards.
What if I split incorrectly?
The original uploaded file is unchanged. Just split again with corrected page ranges.
Try it free — no signup needed
Most tools run in your browser, so your files stay on your device. A few upload the file to our server and delete it afterwards.