Split PDF
A long merged PDF is awkward when someone only needs one chapter, invoice, certificate, or appendix. This splitter separates the document into one PDF per page or into custom page ranges such as 1-3, 4-6, 8. The source PDF is processed in your browser, and the generated files are bundled into a ZIP with clear page-range filenames.
How to split a PDF
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1
Upload the source PDF
Drag the PDF into the tool or browse for it. The source file is read locally in your browser.
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2
Choose a split mode
Use every-page mode for one PDF per page, or custom ranges for groups such as 1-3, 4-6, 8.
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3
Review the page ranges
Keep ranges in the order you want them created, using simple page numbers from the PDF.
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4
Download the ZIP
The output PDFs are packaged together. Files are named by page span, for example pages_1-3.pdf.
Split modes and practical limits
The best split mode depends on how the result will be used. Send a reviewer only the appendix, turn a scan of certificates into separate files, or package selected invoice pages without rebuilding the whole PDF.
Mode comparison
| Mode | Input | Output from a 12-page PDF | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every page | No range input | 12 one-page PDFs | Certificates, receipts, labels, individual forms |
| Custom ranges | 1-3, 4-6, 8 |
pages_1-3.pdf, pages_4-6.pdf, pages_8-8.pdf |
Chapters, appendices, client-specific sections |
| Single selected pages | 2, 5, 9 |
3 one-page PDFs for the selected pages | Pulling a few signatures, invoices, or worksheets |
Range syntax
Use commas to separate outputs. Use a hyphen for a continuous span. 1-5, 10, 12-20 creates three output PDFs. The tool uses normal PDF page numbers starting at 1, so page 1 means the first page shown in the document.
Keep the syntax simple: positive page numbers, commas, and hyphens. Shortcuts such as -1 for the last page are not supported here. If you need every single page, choose the every-page mode instead of typing every number manually.
File names
The ZIP uses the original document name with -split.zip added. Inside the ZIP, each PDF is named by the page span it contains, such as pages_1-3.pdf or pages_8-8.pdf. This makes the files easy to sort and keeps the output predictable for bulk work.
What is preserved
- Page content. Text, images, vector graphics, and the fonts used on copied pages remain on the exported pages.
- Quality. Pages are copied into new PDFs without rasterizing them, so splitting does not blur text or resample images.
- Page order. Output files are created in the order of the ranges you enter.
- Interactive features. Review PDFs with forms, internal links, bookmarks, or legal metadata after splitting, because document-level features can behave differently once pages are copied into separate files.
File size after splitting
Splitting does not always shrink total file size in proportion to page count. PDFs often share fonts and images across pages, and each output file may need its own copy of those resources. If email size limits matter, run a PDF compression pass after splitting.
When splitting is the wrong tool
- You want to keep selected pages as one PDF. Use
pdf-extract-pages. - You need to delete pages from the original order. Use
pdf-remove-pages. - You want to reorder pages before saving. Use
pdf-page-reorder. - You want one long file from several PDFs. Use
pdf-merge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Only if the PDF can be opened first. This tool cannot bypass encryption, so unlock the file with the correct password before splitting it.
The practical limit depends on the PDF size and your browser memory. A few hundred pages are usually fine; for thousands of one-page outputs, split the source into smaller batches first.
No. Pages are copied into new PDFs instead of being rendered as screenshots. Text, images, and vector artwork keep their original quality.
Yes. A scanned PDF is still a PDF with image-based pages. Splitting keeps those page images in the resulting files.
The source PDF is processed in your browser. The generated ZIP is temporary, so download and save it before closing the session.
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