Split a PDF into separate files
Cut one PDF into several documents by page ranges, every N pages, or one page per file.
Drop your files here
.pdf · up to 300 MB
How to Split PDF
- 1
Add your PDF
Drop the file in and thumbnails of every page appear underneath, numbered, so you can pick ranges while looking at the document.
- 2
Type page ranges like 1-3, 5, 8-10
Or switch to every N pages, or one file per page. Ranges may overlap if a page belongs in two parts.
- 3
Download the files or the ZIP
One part downloads as a PDF; several parts arrive together in a ZIP you name yourself.
Three ways to cut a document
Page ranges are the precise option: 1-3, 5, 8-10 produces three files that follow the chapters, contracts or invoices inside one scan. Every N pages is for regular material: a batch of double-sided receipts becomes one file per receipt with N set to 2. One page per file is the blunt instrument for splitting a bundle nobody indexed. Whichever you pick, the parts are built by copying page objects, so text, fonts, links and image resolution survive the cut unchanged; only the pages that belong to a part are carried into it, which is why the pieces together are usually smaller than the original.
Ranges, separators and mistakes
Commas, semicolons and line breaks all separate ranges, and hyphens, en dashes and em dashes are read alike, so a list pasted from an email usually works as it stands. A range that starts after it ends, like 9-4, is refused rather than silently reversed: it is far more often a typo than an intention. A page number the document does not have is refused too, with the real page count shown.
Your PDF stays on your device
The document is read, cut and packed entirely inside this page by your own browser. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored, and no copy sits on a server waiting for a deletion job to reach it. The thumbnails are drawn locally as well, so not even the preview of your pages leaves your machine.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write page ranges?
List them separated by commas: 1-3, 5, 8-10 gives three files. A single number means a single page. Semicolons and line breaks work as separators too, and spaces are ignored, so pasted lists usually work as they are.
Can I get just one page out of a PDF?
Yes. Type the page number on its own, for example 7, and you get one PDF named after that page, with no ZIP around it. Choosing one file per page does the same for every page at once.
What is the difference between Split and Extract Pages?
Split produces several documents, one per range. Extract Pages collects the pages you list into a single new document. Pick Split to cut a bundle apart, Extract Pages to pull a summary out of a long report.
Why do I get a ZIP file?
Because browsers can only save one file per download. When a split produces two or more parts they are packed into a single ZIP, named by you. A split that produces exactly one part downloads as a plain PDF.
Does splitting reduce quality?
No. Pages are copied as they are, with their fonts, vector graphics and images intact. Nothing is re-rendered or re-compressed, so a part looks the same as those pages in the original file.
Is there a limit on the number of pages or files?
One run can produce up to 500 files, which is where a single ZIP stops being useful. For longer documents, split in two passes or use every N pages with a larger N to get fewer, bigger parts.
Can I split a password-protected PDF?
Not while the password is on it: an encrypted document refuses to open for copying, so the split is stopped and reported. Remove the protection in Unlock PDF first, then split the unlocked copy here.
Guides
- Compressing a Scanned Book: What Each Level Does to 60 PagesA forum question asked how to shrink a 580-page book scan without hurting the text. We ran a 60-page scan through every level of Compress PDF and checked the pixels, the sizes and the words.
- PDF to Word on a Mac Without Acrobat: Three Ways and What Each KeepsOn a Mac, Preview copies text and Pages cannot open a PDF, so the built-in route ends in copy and paste. Here is what each route keeps, from Word's own conversion to an online tool that rebuilds the file as DOCX on our server.
- A Smallpdf Alternative Without a Subscription: What Matches and What Is MissingOn October 19, 2026, we went through the 47 tools on Smallpdf's tools page. PulsarKit had a counterpart for 39 of them, with no account, no daily cap on browser tools and no subscription.
- An iLovePDF Alternative Without Sign-Up: What Matches and What Is MissingOn October 16, 2026, we counted 31 PDF tools on the iLovePDF homepage, excluding two workflow cards. PulsarKit had counterparts for 28.
- Compressing a PDF to an Exact File Size, Not Just 'Smaller'Ordinary PDF compression gives you whatever size happens to come out. Hitting an exact number, for an email or upload limit, is a different job.
Related tools
Merge PDFCombine several PDFs into one document in the order you choose, without uploading anything.
Extract pagesPick the pages you need and save them as a new PDF, leaving the original untouched.
Delete pagesDrop the pages you do not need and download the rest as one clean PDF.
Organize PDFPut the pages of a document in the order you want, and rotate, duplicate or drop individual pages along the way.
Split by sizeCut an oversized PDF into parts that each stay under a limit you set, such as the 10 MB an email server will accept.
Compress PDFMake a PDF smaller by re-encoding the images inside it, dropping duplicated objects and clearing metadata, without sending the document anywhere.