Guide · 2 min read
How to Split a PDF
Split a PDF into separate files by page range or extract every page as its own document.
Maintained by Leslie · Updated
Examples describe expected workflows unless a dated test is explicitly identified. Check the downloaded result against your own document before sharing it.
When to split a PDF
Splitting a PDF separates a document into smaller files. Use it to extract chapters from a book, separate invoice pages, or create individual files from a multi-page scan.
Split PDF gives you two modes: page range mode extracts the pages you specify into a new file, and every-page mode creates a separate PDF for each page in the document.
How to split pages
Upload your PDF and choose Page range mode. Enter the ranges you need, such as 1-3 to create one file from pages 1 through 3.
For every-page mode, select that option and the tool creates one PDF per page, packaged in a single ZIP download.
Tips for clean results
Use Extract PDF Pages when you want to keep only selected pages instead of dividing the entire document.
The original PDF stays untouched on your device. Split creates new files without modifying the source.
Ranges create files, not one combined selection
For a 12-page manual with chapters at pages 1-4, 5-9, and 10-12, enter 1-4,5-9,10-12. The expected ZIP contains three PDFs with four, five, and three pages. One range such as 5-9 produces one PDF directly.
To keep pages 1, 4, and 7 together in one file, use Extract PDF Pages instead. Split treats those three comma-separated numbers as three output parts. It does not find chapter boundaries automatically, and pages outside the supplied ranges are omitted.
Check each part before distributing it
Use file positions counted from 1, including covers, rather than the printed page labels. Overlapping ranges intentionally repeat pages across output parts: 1-3,3-5 includes source page 3 twice, once in each part.
Unzip multi-part downloads and open each file. Compare its first page, last page, and count with your plan, then inspect links and forms you need. If the recipient cannot receive ZIP files, extract the individual PDFs before sending.