Free tool
Split PDF
This free tool lets you split PDF files without installing anything. Load one document and its pages appear as thumbnails, so you can click the ones you want and take them out as a new file. Or type ranges like 1-3, 7, 12-15 to get a file per range, or cut the whole thing into equal parts of any size.
Nothing is uploaded. Your file is read on your own device, the pages are copied there and handed straight back, so there is nothing on a server to delete afterwards. Pages are copied rather than redrawn, so text stays selectable and the quality is untouched. Need to go the other way? Use the merge PDF tool.
Drop a PDF here or click to browse
One file at a time. Its pages appear below so you can pick them by eye.
Pick pages by eye
Click the pages below, then take them out as one new PDF.
Split by ranges
Each range becomes its own file. Several ranges come back as a ZIP.
Split every N pages
Cuts the document into equal parts. 1 gives you one file per page.
Drop PDFs here or click to browse
They join top to bottom. Reorder them with the arrows, or drag a row.
How to split a PDF
Five steps, no account and nothing to install.
- Drop in the PDF. One file at a time. The first one also pulls down the PDF engine, which takes a moment on a slow connection and then never again while the page is open.
- Wait for the thumbnails. Every page is drawn so you can see what you are choosing, and the header tells you how many pages the document has.
- Pick one of the three ways to cut it. Click thumbnails to choose pages by eye. Or type ranges for a file per range. Or set a number of pages per file to chop it into equal parts.
- Read the line under the box. Each method says how many files and how many pages you are about to get, before you press anything, and tells you what is wrong if a range is backwards or runs past the end.
- Press the button. One result downloads as a PDF. Several arrive together as a ZIP.
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What people split PDFs for
Nearly always because somebody only needs part of the document, not all of it.
Sending one section, not the whole report
Take chapter three out of a 90 page document and send that, instead of asking somebody to scroll to it.
Removing pages before you share
Select only the pages the other side should see. The rest never leave your device at all.
Splitting a statement by month
Set a number of pages per file and a year of statements comes back as twelve documents in one ZIP.
Pulling one form out of a pack
Government and HR packs bundle a dozen forms into one PDF. Take out the page you actually have to fill in.
Getting under an upload limit
Cut a long document into parts that each fit the cap, without touching the quality of any page.
Separating scanned receipts
A scanner that made one long file becomes one file per receipt, ready to attach to separate claims.
Frequently asked questions
How to write ranges, what survives the split, and what the files come back called.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read in the browser with the standard file API, the pages are copied in your own tab and the result is handed straight back. Nothing is sent to us, nothing is stored, and there is nothing on a server to delete afterwards. The page does send anonymous usage figures: counts of jobs run, files downloaded and visits, plus the shape of each job: the split method, the number of pages and output files, and a rough size band. Never the file, its name or anything in it.
Does splitting reduce the quality?
No. The pages are copied from one document into another exactly as they are, never redrawn or re-encoded. Text stays selectable and searchable, images keep their original resolution, and page size and orientation are unchanged. A page that comes out of here is the same page that went in.
How do I write page ranges?
Separate them with commas and use a hyphen for a span. 1-3, 7, 12-15 gives three files: pages 1 to 3, page 7, and pages 12 to 15. If there is more than one file they arrive together in a ZIP. The line under the box tells you how many files and pages you are about to get, and says plainly what is wrong if a range is backwards or runs past the last page.
I only want to DELETE a few pages. Can I do that?
Yes, by choosing the pages you want to KEEP. Click Select all, then click the handful you want rid of to deselect them, and press Extract. What downloads is the document without them. There is no separate delete step because keeping and removing are the same operation seen from opposite ends.
What is the difference between the three methods?
Pick pages by eye gives you ONE file containing exactly the pages you clicked, in page order. Split by ranges gives you one file PER range, so three ranges means three files. Split every N pages ignores content entirely and chops the document into equal parts, which is the one to use when you just need smaller pieces.
Do bookmarks and fillable form fields survive?
No, and it is worth knowing before you rely on it. Both were tested rather than assumed: a document with a bookmark tree and a fillable text field came back with neither. Those live at the document level rather than on the page, so copying pages leaves them behind. Links inside a page DO survive, and so does everything you can see. If the PDF is a form somebody needs to fill in, keep the original.
Can it open a password-protected PDF?
No. A PDF with an open password cannot be read without it, so the file is refused with a message asking you to remove the password first. Nothing is guessed and nothing is bypassed. Remove it in whatever application you normally use, then bring the file back.
How many pages can it handle?
There is no limit written into the tool. The practical ceiling is your own device, because every page is drawn as a thumbnail so you can see it, and a very long document takes a while and a lot of memory to render. The splitting itself is fast; it is the preview that costs. A phone will give up sooner than a desktop.
What are the output files called?
A range keeps the original name and adds the pages, so report.pdf split at 1-3 becomes report_p1-3.pdf, and a single page becomes report_p7.pdf. Pages picked from the thumbnails come back as report_selected.pdf. When there is more than one file they arrive as report_split.zip.
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