By: Robert Soares | When One PDF Needs to Become Many
Someone sends you a 47-page document. You need pages 12-15. Now what?
Or maybe you scanned a stack of papers and they all ended up in one file. Each page is a different document. They need to be separated.
Splitting PDFs is one of those tasks that feels like it should be simple. And it is, once you have the right tool. With over 2.5 trillion PDFs in existence and 98% of businesses using PDF as their default format for external communication, this is a skill worth having.
This guide covers three approaches: extracting specific pages, splitting into individual pages, and dividing at specific intervals. Pick whatever fits your situation.
Time required: Under 2 minutes Technical skills: None
The Fastest Way: Use Our Free Splitter
Let's get straight to it.
Step 1: Open the Tool
Go to our free PDF splitter. No signup required.
Step 2: Upload Your PDF
Drag and drop your file. Or click to browse. The PDF stays in your browser. We never see it.
Step 3: Choose What to Extract
You've got options:
- Specific pages - Enter page numbers like "1, 5, 12-15"
- Every page - Splits into individual single-page PDFs
- Range splits - Divides at intervals (every 5 pages, etc.)
Step 4: Download
You'll get either a single PDF (if extracting a range) or a zip file (if creating multiple PDFs).
That's it. The whole thing takes 30 seconds.
Why Browser-Based Matters
Your document never uploads to a server. The splitting happens right in your browser using JavaScript.
This matters for confidential documents. Contracts. Financial records. Anything with personal data. No server logs. No temporary copies floating around someone else's infrastructure.
Alternative Methods That Work
Our tool isn't the only option. Here are other legitimate ways to split PDFs.
Preview on Mac
Built right into your Mac. Free. Apple's Preview User Guide covers all the details.
- Open the PDF in Preview
- Go to View > Thumbnails
- Select the pages you want (Command-click for multiple)
- Drag them to your desktop
Each page becomes its own PDF. Simple and effective for small jobs.
For extracting a range: select the pages, then File > Print > PDF > Save as PDF. Gives you just those pages in a new file.
Adobe Acrobat Pro
Tools > Organize Pages > Split
Multiple split options:
- By number of pages
- By file size
- By top-level bookmarks
It's $13/month minimum. Don't subscribe just for splitting. But if you already have it for other work, it handles splits well.
PDFsam Basic (Free Desktop App)
PDFsam is open source and completely free. Download once, use forever.
Handles splits, merges, and rotations. Interface is basic but functional. Good choice if you do this regularly and prefer desktop apps.
Google Chrome (Sneaky Method)
This one's free and works anywhere:
- Open the PDF in Chrome
- Press Ctrl+P (or Cmd+P on Mac)
- Choose "Save as PDF" as the printer
- Under Pages, enter the specific pages you want
- Save
Creates a new PDF with just those pages. Not as elegant as dedicated tools, but it works in a pinch.
Three Types of Splitting Explained
Different situations call for different approaches.
Extracting Specific Pages
Use when: You need certain pages from a larger document.
Example: A 50-page contract, but you only need the signature pages (47-50) for your records.
Enter page numbers or ranges. Get back a PDF with just those pages. Original file stays intact.
Page numbers are what you see in the document, not what your PDF reader shows. If the PDF has its own page numbering starting at "i" for the intro, you still enter the actual sequential page position.
Splitting Into Individual Pages
Use when: You scanned multiple documents together. Or each page is a standalone item (invoices, receipts, certificates).
The tool creates separate PDFs for each page. Usually delivered as a zip file so you're not downloading 47 files individually.
File naming is automatic: usually originalname_1.pdf, originalname_2.pdf, etc.
Splitting at Intervals
Use when: You need to break a large document into sections of consistent size.
Example: A 100-page manual that needs to become 10-page chapters for easier handling.
Specify the split point (every 10 pages) and get multiple files, each containing that many pages.
Common Problems and Quick Fixes
"I can't select the pages I want"
Make sure you're entering page numbers correctly:
- Single pages: 1, 5, 8
- Ranges: 1-5, 10-15
- Combined: 1, 3, 5-10, 15
Spaces after commas are optional. Ranges use a hyphen, not a dash.
"The PDF won't let me split it"
Some PDFs have security restrictions that prevent modification. You might need the password.
If it's your document and you've lost the password, there are tools to remove PDF restrictions. Search "remove PDF password" but be careful about what you upload to random websites.
"Page numbers don't match"
PDFs can have "logical" page numbers (what's printed on the page) different from "physical" page numbers (actual position in the file).
Tools usually work with physical positions. If page "45" of the document is actually the 50th page of the file (because of intro pages numbered i-v), you'd enter 50.
Count pages in your PDF viewer's thumbnail view to get the physical position.
"I got too many files"
If you split into individual pages when you meant to extract a range, try again. Make sure you're choosing the right split mode.
"Quality seems worse"
Splitting shouldn't affect quality at all. It's just reorganizing existing pages. If something looks wrong, the original probably had the issue.
When Splitting Isn't What You Need
Sometimes splitting is the wrong solution.
Want to remove pages from a document? That's different from splitting. You want to delete pages while keeping everything else together. Adobe Acrobat does this. So do some online tools. Split and merge is a workaround (split out what you want, merge back together) but slower.
Need to rearrange page order? Again, different task. You want page organization, not splitting. Split creates separate files. Rearranging keeps one file with pages in new order.
Trying to reduce file size?Compression is what you need. Splitting doesn't change total file size, it just distributes it across multiple files.
Sending specific pages to different people? Splitting works here. But consider whether sharing a link to specific pages might be easier. Tools like Flipbooker can create shareable links, even to specific sections.
Tips for Better Results
Before Splitting
- Know which pages you need (open the PDF and note them)
- Check if the PDF has bookmarks (might help identify sections)
- Consider whether you need the whole page or just content from it
After Splitting
- Rename files meaningfully (invoice_january.pdf beats original_page_15.pdf)
- Verify you got the right pages
- Delete files you don't need (keep things organized)
- Keep the original until you're sure the splits are correct
For Regular Splitters
If you split PDFs frequently:
- Develop consistent naming conventions
- Keep a folder structure that makes sense
- Consider desktop software for better performance
- Create templates if you split the same types of documents
Real-World Scenarios
Scenario 1: The Big Scan
You fed a stack of 20 different forms through a scanner. Now they're all in one PDF. You need individual files.
Solution: Split into individual pages. Rename each file appropriately. Done.
Scenario 2: The Lengthy Report
Boss sent a 100-page report. You only need the executive summary (pages 3-7) for a meeting.
Solution: Extract pages 3-7 into a new PDF. Share that instead of the whole thing.
Scenario 3: Chapter Distribution
You wrote a 300-page manual. Marketing wants to distribute it as separate chapters.
Solution: Split at chapter boundaries. Each chapter becomes its own file. Chapters might be different lengths, so do them individually rather than at fixed intervals.
Scenario 4: Remove Confidential Pages
A vendor proposal includes pricing you don't want to share with your team. Pricing is pages 45-48.
Solution: Extract pages 1-44, then 49 to end. Merge them back together. Now you have the proposal without the confidential section.
What's Next?
Got your pages separated? Here's what else might help:
Need to combine files later? Our PDF merger reverses the process.
Files too big for email? Try our PDF compressor.
Want to share documents more professionally? Convert to a flipbook with engagement tracking.
Need a broader understanding of PDF tools? Read our complete PDF tools guide.
Splitting PDFs is simple when you have the right tool. Grab yours, pull out what you need, move on.