How to use it
Use this tool to split PDF documents in two ways: copy chosen pages into a new file, or turn every page into a PDF of its own. Type page numbers and ranges such as 1-3, 5, 8- and the tool does the rest, which also makes it a quick way to delete pages you do not want. The document is processed in your browser and is never uploaded.
How to split PDF files
- Click "Choose a PDF" or drop the file onto the box. The tool works on one document at a time.
- Under "Split mode", pick "Selected pages into one PDF" or "Every page as a separate PDF (ZIP)".
- For selected pages, enter the numbers in the "Pages" field, for example 1-3, 5, 8-. Leave it empty to take every page. You can also click the page thumbnails below instead of typing; Shift-click selects a range and the field fills in by itself.
- Press "Run tool" (or Ctrl + Enter) to cut the document.
- Download the result. From report.pdf, the selected pages arrive as report-pages.pdf; the one-file-per-page mode gives report-1.pdf, report-2.pdf and so on, plus report-pages.zip holding all of them.
Writing page ranges
Separate entries with commas (semicolons work too) and use a hyphen for a range; spaces are ignored. These examples assume a 10-page document:
| You type | Pages in the new file |
|---|---|
4 | Page 4 only |
2-5 | 2, 3, 4 and 5 |
8- | Page 8 to the end: 8, 9, 10 |
-3 | From the start to page 3: 1, 2, 3 |
1-3, 5, 8- | 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10 |
5, 1-3 | 1, 2, 3, 5 (always ascending) |
| Nothing | All ten pages |
Pages always land in ascending order, and a page listed twice is included once, so this tool cannot reorder a document. To rearrange one, split it with "Every page as a separate PDF (ZIP)", load the single pages into the merge PDF tool and use its arrows to set the new order. The merge tool takes up to 50 files per run, which means a longer document has to be reassembled in batches. If you type a page number beyond the end of the document, you get a prompt to check the numbers instead of a file.
Deleting pages from a PDF
There is no separate delete button. You remove pages by listing the ones to keep, and everything else stays out of the new file:
- Drop page 4 of a 10-page file:
1-3, 5-10. - Cut two blank pages from the end of a 12-page file:
-10. - Remove a cover page:
2-, which keeps page 2 through the last page. - Discard the empty backs of a double-sided scan by listing only the pages with content, such as
1, 3, 5, 7.
Your original file is never modified, because each run creates a fresh copy. If you drop the wrong page, simply run the tool again on the same document.
Good reasons to split a PDF
- Upload limits: court e-filing systems, government portals and email providers often cap attachment size. Cutting a large scan into parts can get it through; check the exact limit on the service itself.
- Batch scans: when a scanner saves a passport, a birth certificate and a utility bill as one PDF, give each its own page range and save them as separate documents.
- Sharing only what was asked for: sending just the one page of a bank statement or payslip that someone needs keeps the other pages, and the details on them, to yourself.
- Chapters and handouts: pass a single chapter of a long PDF to a class or a colleague.
- Invoice runs: when accounting software wants one invoice per file, the per-page mode separates a whole stack in a single run.
What the split pages keep
Pages are copied, not redrawn: text stays selectable and searchable, scans keep their sharpness, and page sizes and orientations do not change. Bookmarks and fillable form fields, on the other hand, are not carried over reliably. If a completed form has to keep its entries, flatten it or print it to a new PDF before splitting, and work from that copy.
Two notes on file size. Resources that pages share, such as embedded fonts, are copied into each part, so the parts together can weigh more than the original. The ZIP is built without compression, because the data inside a PDF is already compressed, so expect it to be about the size of the page files combined. In per-page mode the "Pages" field is ignored and every page is exported.
Limits and error messages
- A file can be up to 100 MB and there is no page cap, although splitting hundreds of pages one by one on a phone can be slow, since everything happens in the device's memory.
- Password-protected PDFs cannot be opened until you remove the password in a PDF reader and save the file again.
- Damaged files, and files that merely carry a .pdf extension, are rejected because they cannot be read as a PDF.
- Need a page as an image instead? PDF to JPG turns pages into JPG or PNG files.
Your document stays on your device
The splitting is done by the open-source pdf-lib library inside your browser tab. The document is not sent to our server and is not stored, and it is cleared from memory when you close the tab. The page only bumps an anonymous usage counter once a run has finished successfully. No account and no payment are needed. Other document tools are listed under PDF tools.
