Split PDF
Split a PDF into separate documents directly in your browser. Extract a page range, break the file into single pages, or cut it into fixed-size chunks — text stays selectable and nothing is uploaded.
Upload PDF
Drag and drop your PDF here, or click to select
Output Files
Your split files will appear here
Upload a PDF and choose a split mode
About Splitting PDFs
- • Runs entirely in your browser — no file is ever uploaded to a server
- • Pages are copied, not re-rendered, so text stays selectable and searchable
- • Ranges accept lists and open ends, such as 1-3, 7, 12-
- • Split files can be larger than expected: each one carries its own copy of shared fonts
- • Bookmarks, fillable form fields, and tagged accessibility data are not carried over
- • Password-protected PDFs must be decrypted before they can be split
About Split PDF
This tool breaks one PDF into several using pdf-lib, which copies the selected pages — their content streams, fonts, and embedded images — into freshly built documents. Pages are copied rather than re-rendered, so text stays selectable and vector artwork stays sharp at any zoom. Three modes are available: extract a range, split into single pages, or cut the document into fixed-size chunks.
Why use a Split PDF?
Large PDFs are awkward to share when only part of them matters. Splitting lets you send the three pages a colleague actually needs instead of a 200-page manual, break a scanned batch back into individual invoices, or cut an oversized file into pieces small enough for an email attachment limit.
Who is it for?
Useful to anyone who receives documents in bulk: accountants separating a scanned stack into one file per invoice, teachers pulling a single chapter out of a textbook PDF, legal teams extracting an exhibit from a bundle, and administrators breaking long reports into per-department sections.
How to use the tool
Drag a PDF onto the drop zone, or click it to browse for a file
Check the detected page count shown after the file is read
Choose a split mode: extract a range, split every page, or split every N pages
For extract mode, enter the pages you want, such as 1-3, 7, 12-
For chunk mode, set how many pages each output file should contain
Click Split PDF to build the output documents
Download a single result directly, or get every piece as one ZIP archive
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I split a PDF into separate files?
Upload your PDF, then pick one of three modes. Extract range produces a single new PDF containing just the pages you list, using an expression like 1-3, 7, 12- where an open-ended range runs to the last page. Split every page produces one file per page. Split every N pages cuts the document into equal chunks — useful for breaking a 100-page scan into ten 10-page files. Click Split PDF, then download one result directly or take all of them as a ZIP.
Are my PDFs uploaded anywhere?
No. Splitting runs entirely in your browser via JavaScript — the file is read into memory as an ArrayBuffer, rebuilt by pdf-lib, and written back out as blobs your browser downloads. Nothing reaches a server and nothing is logged. You can confirm in DevTools' Network tab: after the page loads, splitting fires zero HTTP requests, and the tool works with networking disabled. That makes it safe for contracts, payroll files, and medical records.
Does splitting reduce quality or make text unselectable?
Neither. Splitting is a structural operation, not a re-encoding one. Each page's content stream is copied verbatim into the output document along with the fonts and images it references, so text stays real text — selectable, searchable, and copy-pasteable — and vector graphics stay resolution-independent. This is fundamentally different from rasterising a page to an image with [PDF to JPG](/tools/pdf-to-jpg/), which flattens everything into pixels and loses the text layer entirely.
How do I write a page range?
Use comma-separated numbers and ranges. `1-3` selects the first three pages, `7` selects a single page, and `12-` selects page 12 through the end. Combine them freely: `1-3, 7, 12-` takes pages 1, 2, 3, 7, and everything from 12 onward. Pages are always emitted in ascending document order regardless of how you type them, and duplicates are ignored, so `3, 1-3` yields pages 1 to 3 exactly once. Numbers beyond the document's length are ignored rather than causing an error.
Why are the split files not much smaller than the original?
This is the most common surprise. A PDF stores fonts, colour profiles, and embedded images in shared resource dictionaries, and each output file needs its own copy of whatever its pages reference. Splitting a document with a large embedded font set means every piece carries that font. The page content shrinks proportionally, but the fixed overhead does not. Files built from scanned page images split roughly in proportion, since each page owns its own image and shares little with its neighbours.
What is lost when I split — bookmarks, forms, annotations?
The same document-level structures that merging drops. Page content, fonts, and images copy faithfully, but outlines and bookmarks are not rebuilt, interactive form fields lose their AcroForm registration and stop behaving as fillable fields, and the tagged-PDF accessibility tree is not carried over. Internal link annotations pointing to pages outside the extracted set will break, since their targets no longer exist. If working forms or bookmarks matter, split in a full PDF editor instead.
Can I split an encrypted or password-protected PDF?
Not while it is still encrypted. Documents protected with a user password have genuinely encrypted content streams that cannot be copied without the password, and the tool reports the file as encrypted rather than producing a corrupt result. Files carrying only an owner password — permission flags restricting printing or editing without encrypting content — can generally be split. Decrypt the file in a reader you have credentials for, save an unprotected copy, then split that.
How large a PDF can I split?
There is no fixed cap; your device's memory is the real limit, since the source document and every output are held in RAM at once. Splitting ordinary text PDFs of a few hundred pages is comfortable even on a phone. Large scanned documents are the constraint — a few hundred megabytes of page images can exhaust a mobile tab. If you hit trouble, extract a range at a time instead of splitting every page, then recombine pieces later with [Merge PDF](/tools/merge-pdf/).
Share This Tool
Found this tool helpful? Share it with others who might benefit from it!
💡 Help others discover useful tools! Sharing helps us keep these tools free and accessible to everyone.