PDF tools
Split a PDF
Short answer
Splits a PDF into several files, either by page ranges such as “1-3, 5, 8-” or one file per page. Your browser writes the parts itself, so the file is not uploaded.
Updated
Split a PDF
Runs in your browser
Your browser processes the files itself.
No upload
Your files stay on your device.
No sign-up
You don't need an account or an email address.
No cookies
That's why there is no cookie banner here.
In 4 steps
How it works
Drag your PDF into the box or pick it with “Choose file”. You then see how many pages it has.
Under “Pages”, enter the pages you need, for example “1-3, 5, 8-”. If every page should become its own file, choose “Every page on its own”.
Click “Split”.
Download the parts one by one or all together as a ZIP.
Background
Learn more
Why you would split a PDF
A pile of letters often goes through the scanner in one go. What comes out is one long PDF with an invoice, a reminder and a rental contract one after another. With the right page ranges you turn it back into separate documents you can file on their own.
Sometimes a portal only needs an excerpt. That might be the latest job reference from a combined file or the signed page of a contract. You extract those pages and send them as a file of their own.
Size limits are another reason. If an inbox or an upload form rejects your PDF as too large, split it into two or three parts and send them one after another.
How to enter the pages
Pages that belong in one file are written as a range with a dash, such as “1-3”. A single page is just its number. Commas separate the files, and a dash with no number after it runs to the end.
The files are created in the order you type them. Ranges may overlap, in which case the same pages appear in several files. If something in your input does not work, a message right below the field tells you what to change. Only then can you click “Split” again.
What the parts keep
Every page looks exactly as it did in the original. The tool takes fonts and images as they are, so scans do not lose quality.
Some things belong to the document as a whole and stay behind, though. These are the bookmarks in the sidebar, page labels such as roman numerals, attached files, the tags screen readers rely on and details like title and author. It is best not to split an e-invoice in the ZUGFeRD format. Its machine-readable invoice data is attached to the PDF as a file and would be missing from every part.
Why there is no upload
Scanned mail contains account numbers, medical findings or contract details. You would rather not hand files like that to a stranger’s server. This tool reads your PDF in the browser and writes the parts there too. If you want to check, open your browser’s developer tools and watch the list of network requests while you split. No request with your PDF shows up there.
Formats and limits
Good to know
- Each range between two commas becomes its own file. For a PDF with ten pages, “1-3, 5, 8-” gives three files with pages 1 to 3, only page 5 and pages 8 to 10.
- The tool copies the pages without re-encoding fonts or images. Text you could select stays selectable. If it cannot read the content of a page, that page in the part may be missing images, gradients or transparency as a precaution.
- Images that only appear on other pages are left out. This also applies if the original keeps all images in one shared place. Fonts are copied in full. If all pages use the same embedded font, every part carries a copy of it, so all parts together are usually a little larger than the original.
- Links to websites and comments stay visible where they were. Filled-in form fields show their contents if the original stored how the fields look. If it did not, as with some web forms, a field may stay empty in the part. The form features of the document are not carried over, so fill in forms before you split.
- Bookmarks, page labels, attached files such as the XML data of an e-invoice (ZUGFeRD), tags for screen readers and the title and author of the original are not included in the parts.
- A jump to a page that ends up in another part leads nowhere. Whether a link within the same part keeps working depends on how the original app created it.
- The tool splits one PDF at a time. If you drop a new file, it replaces the previous one.
- The tool checks the contents of a file to make sure it really is a PDF. Every encrypted PDF is rejected with a notice. Besides PDFs with a password, that includes PDFs which open freely and only restrict editing, printing or copying.
- The PDF can be up to 300 MB and 3,000 pages, or up to 100 MB and 1,000 pages on iPhone and iPad. A larger file is rejected with a notice.
- All parts together can have up to 3,000 pages and 300 MB, or up to 1,000 pages and 100 MB on iPhone and iPad. Overlapping ranges count more than once.
How do I extract a single page from a PDF?
Enter the number of the page, for example “4”, and click “Split”. You get a file with exactly that page. Your original stays as it is.
What does “8-” mean in the page field?
A dash with no number after it runs to the last page. If your PDF has twelve pages, “8-” stands for pages 8 to 12. That way you don't have to look up the page count first.
Can I put pages that are not next to each other into one file?
Not here, because every comma starts a new file. If you need pages 2 and 7 together, split each of them out first. Then combine them into one file with the “Merge PDF files” tool.
Is my PDF uploaded for this?
No. Your browser reads the PDF and writes the parts itself, and the file never leaves your device. Once your PDF has been checked, splitting even works without an internet connection.
How do I split a password-protected PDF?
Remove the protection first. Open the file with its password in your PDF app and save it as a new PDF via “Print”. You can then split that unprotected copy here. Do the same with a PDF that opens without a password but carries a restriction.
How do I split a PDF on an iPhone?
Open this page in Safari, tap “Choose file” and find the PDF in the Files app. Save the finished parts one by one with “Download”, or all at once as a ZIP. Tap the ZIP in the Files app and it unpacks the files.