Softonic

Split PDF

Step 1 / 3

Choose a PDF to split

PDF only · 20 MiB

or drop one PDF here

Your split PDF files are ready

Download ZIP locally

Local download uploads nothing. Only if you choose Create a download page is the derived ZIP uploaded to our server and kept for up to 7 days. It contains copies of the selected pages; the separately chosen source PDF remains local.

Separate a PDF into one file per page or exact ranges such as 1-3, 4-6, 8. The source PDF is processed in your browser, and local ZIP download is the default. Files can contain up to 150 pages and be up to 20 MiB.

How to split a PDF

  1. 1

    Choose the source PDF

    Select one PDF up to 20 MiB and 150 pages. It is validated and read locally in your browser.

  2. 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.

  3. 3

    Review the exact ranges

    Each range must be unique, ascending, and inside the document. Up to 150 output PDFs and 100 MiB of generated PDFs are allowed.

  4. 4

    Download the ZIP

    Create and download the ZIP locally. Only the optional download-page action uploads the derived ZIP, which is retained for up to 7 days.

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 strict: positive whole page numbers, commas, and hyphens only. Every range must be ascending, unique, and completely inside the document. The tool does not clamp out-of-range values or accept shortcuts such as -1 for the last page. Choose every-page mode instead of typing every page manually.

Limits and retention

Boundary Limit
Source PDF size 20 MiB
Source pages 150
Output PDF files 150
Total generated PDFs before ZIP compression 100 MiB
Browser-local funnel session Up to 30 minutes in this tab
Optional uploaded derived ZIP Retained for up to 7 days

The normal local-download path uploads nothing. In the three-step flow, the source is kept in private per-tab browser storage for up to 30 minutes so it can survive navigation between steps. It is not placed in the URL or sent to our servers. If you explicitly choose Create a download page, only the derived ZIP containing the selected pages is uploaded to the server and retained for up to 7 days. The separately selected source PDF remains local.

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 appearance. Page content is copied without rasterizing, and page rotation, CropBox, and MediaBox are preserved.
  • Page order. Output files are created in the order of the ranges you enter.
  • New document boundaries. Document metadata, forms and form fields, attachments, outlines or bookmarks, page labels, and cross-page links may not carry into the split files or may stop working.
  • Signatures and security. Encrypted, digitally signed, and certified PDFs are rejected because splitting would either require a password or invalidate their trust state.

Always open and review the resulting PDFs before sharing, archiving, printing, or relying on them in a legal or regulated workflow.

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

Local ZIP download uploads nothing. The source stays in this browser and, in the three-step flow, can remain in private per-tab storage for up to 30 minutes. Only if you explicitly create a download page is the derived ZIP uploaded and retained for up to 7 days; the separately selected source PDF stays local.

No. Password-protected PDFs and PDFs containing signature or certification fields are rejected. Unlock an encrypted copy first, or use an unsigned working copy whose trust state does not need to be preserved.

The source PDF can be up to 20 MiB and 150 pages. A split can create up to 150 output PDFs, with a maximum of 100 MiB of generated PDFs before ZIP compression.

Use positive whole page numbers, commas, and ascending hyphenated ranges, such as 1-3, 4-6, 8. Each output range must be unique and completely inside the PDF. Invalid or out-of-range values are rejected rather than adjusted.

The tool copies page content without rasterizing and preserves each page’s rotation, CropBox, and MediaBox. Because each result is a new document, metadata, forms, attachments, outlines or bookmarks, page labels, and cross-page links may not carry over. Review every output before relying on it.

Yes, provided it is a readable, unencrypted PDF within the limits. Image-based scanned pages are copied into the new PDFs, but this tool does not run OCR or make the scan searchable.

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