Split PDF

Cut one PDF into separate files — by page range, in fixed chunks, or one document per page.

Runs on your devicePDFWorkingNo account needed

What this tool does

Split PDF builds one new document for each group of pages you define. The pages are copied into a freshly created file with pdf-lib rather than re-rendered, so text stays selectable and images keep their original resolution, and the file you started with is left untouched. Each part is named after the source and the range it holds: splitting report.pdf on 1-3,5 gives you report-1-3.pdf and report-5.pdf.

Three modes divide a document by position — by where a page sits, not by what is printed on it. Page ranges takes a list like 1-3,5,8-12 and writes one file per entry — an open range such as 8- runs to the last page, -4 starts at the first, and the words first and last stand in for numbers. Fixed chunks cuts every N pages into their own file. Every page produces one PDF per page. With ranges you can also tick “Also export the pages not listed”, which sweeps whatever you did not mention into a final part ending -rest.pdf.

The work happens in this browser tab — the document is read into memory, the parts are assembled there, and the file is not uploaded anywhere. What that costs is worth saying plainly. Every part is a brand new document, so the outline is dropped and bookmarks do not survive, and an internal link aimed at a page that landed in a different part no longer resolves. Each part re-embeds the fonts and images its own pages use, which is why the parts added together are usually larger than the original. A password-protected file is refused with a message instead of being half-processed.

How to use it

  1. Add the PDF. Drop in the document you want to divide, or pick it from disk. Add several and each one is split with the same settings.
  2. Choose how to cut it. Page ranges for a list like 1-3,5,8-12, fixed chunks for every N pages, or every page for one document per page.
  3. Split and save the parts. Each part is listed with its size and can be saved on its own; when there is more than one, Download all as ZIP takes them together.

Processing & privacy

Runs on your device. Your file is processed directly in this browser.

Common use cases

Sending one section

A 300-page manual is a poor attachment when the recipient only needs chapter four. Pages 88-120 go out as their own file.

Unpicking a batch scan

Several documents fed through a scanner in one pass arrive as a single file. Ranges pull each of them back out as a separate PDF.

Meeting a page cap

Upload forms sometimes reject anything over a fixed number of pages. Chunks of twenty divide the document into parts that fit.

Filing pages individually

One PDF per page suits invoices, certificates or receipts that have to be stored and referenced as single records.

Questions

Does the PDF leave my device?
No. pdf-lib runs in this tab and assembles every part in memory on your own machine, so nothing is transmitted and nothing is stored. Closing the tab is the whole of the cleanup.
What can I type in the Ranges box?
Numbers and ranges separated by commas or semicolons: 1-3,5,8-12. An open range like 8- runs to the last page, -4 starts at the first, and first and last work in place of a number. Odd and even are not accepted here. A range past the end of the document stops the run with an error naming the real page count.
Can two ranges contain the same page?
Yes. Each range is written independently, so a page listed in two of them appears in both output files. Nothing warns you, which is occasionally the point — a cover page repeated in every part, for instance.
Do bookmarks and internal links survive?
Page content does: text, images and the annotations attached to each page are copied across. Document-level structure does not, because each part is a new file with no outline of its own. An interactive form is safer flattened before splitting, since the form dictionary lives at document level too.
Is there a size limit?
None is imposed, since nothing is being uploaded. The ceiling is the device's memory — the whole document stays open while the parts are built, so a very large scan on a phone is the case most likely to struggle.
What if I want to split at chapters or under a size limit?
Use a tool that knows where to cut. Split by Bookmark breaks at the outline, Split by Text breaks wherever a page contains a phrase such as an invoice number, and Split by Size makes parts under a byte limit. To keep one subset rather than divide the lot, Extract Pages is the closer fit; to drop pages instead, use Delete Pages.

Related tools

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  • Protect PDF — Add a password and set permissions on a PDF.
  • Sign PDF — Draw, type or upload a signature and place it on the page.