Split PDF
Type the pages you want, such as 1-3, 5, and download them as a new PDF. Your original file is never changed.
Large PDFs are awkward to share. A 200-page manual, a bundled application pack or a monthly statement often contains one section that a colleague, client or office actually needs. Sending the whole file wastes their time and may expose pages they should not see. Splitting solves this by producing a smaller PDF that contains only the pages you choose.
This tool takes one PDF and one list of page ranges, and returns one new PDF containing exactly those pages. It is a page-range extractor in the most literal sense: you describe what you want to keep, and the rest is left behind in your original.
How to split a PDF
- Click Select PDF and choose the file from your device.
- In the Page ranges box, type the pages to keep, for example
1-3, 5. - Click Split. The new file downloads as
split.pdf. - Open it to confirm the right pages came through, then rename it to something meaningful.
The range rules, with examples
The range box is forgiving about spaces but strict about structure. Use commas to separate items, and a hyphen for a continuous run. The rules below describe what the tool actually does with your input.
| You type | Pages in the new PDF | Why |
|---|---|---|
1-3, 5 | 1, 2, 3, 5 | A run plus a single page |
7 | 7 only | A single number is allowed |
5, 2, 3 | 2, 3, 5 | Pages are always output in ascending order |
2-4, 3-6 | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | Overlaps are merged; each page appears once |
8-20 in a 10-page file | 8, 9, 10 | The end of a range is trimmed to the last page |
50 in a 10-page file | nothing | A page that does not exist is ignored |
5-3 | nothing | A reversed range is not expanded |
If the list produces no valid pages at all, the tool asks you to enter ranges and does not download a file. Typographic dashes, such as the en dash you might get when copying from a document, are converted to ordinary hyphens, so 3–5 works too.
Need the pages in a different order or repeated? This tool always sorts and removes duplicates. Use the Extract PDF Pages tool to keep your own order, or Organize PDF to reorder a whole document.
One file out, not many
A common misunderstanding about the word "split" is that you will receive several files, one per chunk. Here you receive a single PDF built from your ranges. To cut a document into several separate files, run the tool once per section. For example, to separate a 30-page document into three parts of ten pages, run it three times with 1-10, 11-20 and 21-30. It takes a minute and gives you full control over each file's name.
Realistic scenarios
- Sharing one chapter. Extract pages 45 to 72 of a textbook to send to a study partner.
- Submitting only the relevant forms. A visa or tax pack may hold ten forms; pull out the two that a specific office requires.
- Separating invoices. A supplier sends one PDF with a different invoice on pages 1, 3 and 5. Run three single-page extractions.
- Sending a signature page. Extract the last page of a long agreement for someone to sign without sending the whole contract.
- Trimming a preview. Create a short sample from a longer report by keeping the first ten pages.
Things to check afterward
Page numbers in this tool refer to physical position in the file, counting from 1, not to the numbers printed on the pages. A book with roman-numeral front matter may have its "page 1" at physical page 9. If the output is not what you expected, open the original in a viewer, note the position shown there, and use that number.
Because a new document is assembled from the copied pages, features that span the whole document, such as a table of contents with clickable bookmarks, may not carry over, and links that point to pages you did not include will have nowhere to go. The visible content of each page is preserved.
Privacy and how it runs
The file is processed in your browser using an open-source PDF library that is fetched from a public content-delivery network when you first use the tool. Your PDF is read from your device, the selected pages are copied into a new document in memory, and the result is handed back as a download. Your PDF is not uploaded to this site's servers for splitting.
Encrypted files are opened with encryption ignored, so a PDF that merely restricts editing or printing can usually be split. Files that need a password to open may fail. Do not use this tool to bypass restrictions on documents you are not entitled to change.
Frequently asked questions
Does splitting change my original PDF?
No. The tool reads your file and creates a new one. The original stays untouched on your device.
Why is my output missing a page I typed?
Either the number is higher than the page count, or it was part of a reversed range such as 5-3. Check the total pages and write ranges from low to high.
Can I split every page into its own file at once?
No. The tool creates one output file per run. For a handful of pages, run it repeatedly with single page numbers.
Will the quality of the pages drop?
No. Pages are copied as they are, without being redrawn or recompressed, so text stays selectable and images keep their quality.
Is there a page limit?
No fixed limit is built into the tool. Very large files depend on your device's memory, so close other heavy tabs if the browser becomes slow.