Split a PDF into parts
Cut one PDF into smaller files: type the page ranges you want, or make a part of every page or of every few pages. The split happens in your own browser, so the document is never uploaded, and it is free, with no sign up and no watermark.
Drop a PDF file here or click to choose
Your files never leave your device
One PDF file, up to 100 megabytesLimits: One PDF of up to 100 MB and 500 pages, split into parts that hold up to 500 pages and 150 MB together. Larger input is refused with a message.
File to split
Parts to make
Parts
- Parts
- 0
- Pages in the parts
- 0
- Total size
- 0
How to use the Split PDF
- Drop your PDF on the box above, or click the box to pick it. The tool checks the file and counts its pages.
- Choose how to split it: by page ranges, every page, or every N pages.
- For page ranges, type them separated by commas, such as 1-3, 4, 5-.
- Choose Split PDF and wait for the progress bar.
- Download the parts one at a time, or all of them together as a ZIP.
Worked example
Load the example to see a split without a PDF of your own. The tool draws a six page A4 report in this tab, adds it to the list and types the ranges 1-2, 3, 4-6. Choose Split PDF and the result reads:
example-report.pdf: 6 pages, A4 portrait Page ranges: 1-2, 3, 4-6
- Parts
- 3
- Pages in the parts
- 6
- Total size
- 4.70 KB (4,811 bytes)
How to read the results
- Parts to make
- Before the split, each line names a part, its pages and the file name it will get. A setting that cannot be used shows its reason under the field, and Split PDF waits until it is fixed.
- Parts
- How many files the split made, one per range or per group of pages.
- Pages in the parts
- The pages of all parts added up. It is higher than the page count of the file when ranges overlap.
- Total size
- The parts added up, rounded and then in exact bytes. Each part's own size is listed beside its Download button.
How this tool works and its limitations
The page itself holds no PDF code. When you add a file, it downloads pdf-lib, an open source PDF library, with a progress bar, and runs it in a background worker so the page stays responsive. The file is checked first: the %PDF- marker in its first 1,024 bytes, whether it opens without a password, and how many pages it has.
For each part the worker starts a new document and copies the chosen pages into it. Before copying, it points each link at a page number instead of at the page itself, and gives each page, and every drawing, pattern and mask inside it, only the pictures, fonts and other resources its drawing names. Afterwards it points the links of each part at the part's own pages, removes the rest and anything else that points outside the part, such as a reply to a note on another page, and drops any object nothing in the part uses. Every library behind this page is named, with its license, on the open source licenses page.
- Splits by page ranges or every page (or every few pages); it never cuts a single page in two.
- Bookmarks, document level JavaScript and the title and author of the file are not copied into the parts.
- A link to a page that ends up in another part is removed, since it would lead nowhere; links to the web and to pages of the same part keep working.
- Each part carries its own copy of the fonts and pictures its pages use, so the parts together can be much larger than the original file.
- A font or picture that a page shares with pages in other parts is copied whole, so it can hold letters or details those other pages show.
- A digital signature is left out of the parts, because it only covers the exact file that was signed.
- A page whose drawing unpacks to more than 64 MB, or is stored in a way the tool cannot read, is refused with a message naming the page.
- One PDF of up to 100 MB and 500 pages per job; the parts may hold up to 500 pages and 150 MB together, and a larger split stops with a message.
Features
- Three ways to split: your own page ranges, one part per page, or parts of a fixed size.
- Names each part after your file, such as report-part-1.pdf, with its page count shown beside it.
- Keeps form fields fillable and links between pages of the same part working.
- Each part holds only its own pages and what they use.
- Costs nothing, needs no account, adds no watermark and has no daily cap.
Writing page ranges
A range list is a set of items separated by commas. An item is one page, such as 7, or a span, such as 2-5. A span may be left open: 9- runs from page 9 to the end, and -4 covers the first four pages. Spaces do not matter, and a dash pasted from a word processor counts as a hyphen. Each item becomes one part, in the order you typed it, so 5-8, 1-4 puts the second half first. Items may overlap: 1-10, 1-2 makes a full copy and a short one. If an item is written backwards, names a page the file does not have, or is not a page at all, the tool says which item and why.
What each part keeps
A part keeps its pages exactly as drawn, with their fonts, pictures and size, because the pages are copied rather than redrawn. Web links keep working, and so does a link that jumps to another page of the same part. A link that points to a page placed in a different part is removed, since it would lead nowhere. Form fields stay fillable in the part that holds their page. Bookmarks, document scripts and the file's title are not copied. Nothing that only the pages left out use comes along, from their text and pictures to their notes and form values; we tested each such place. A font or picture shared with them is copied whole.
Why the parts can add up to more than the file
Pages of one document often share a font or a picture that the file stores once. Every part needs its own copy, so a split repeats them. In our tests, a 40 page text PDF made on a Mac was 86 KB, and its 40 single page parts came to 658 KB. An 8 page file showing one photo on every page grew from 0.96 MB to 7.66 MB once split page by page. Longer ranges repeat less. To meet a size limit, make a few large parts rather than many small ones, and shrink photos with the Image Size Reducer first.
Frequently asked questions
How do I split a PDF into single pages?
Add the file, choose Every page and then Split PDF. You get one part per page, named after your file with -part-1, -part-2 and so on; Download all saves them in one ZIP.
Can I choose which pages go into each part?
Yes. Choose Page ranges and type one item per part, such as 1-3, 4, 10-; the list below shows each part's pages and file name before the split runs.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. Your browser reads the file and makes the parts in this tab with an open source PDF library, so there is no server copy to delete.
Why is the ZIP not smaller than the parts?
PDF files are normally compressed already, so the ZIP stores the parts as they are. Compressing the parts of a text PDF and a photo PDF again saved under 2 percent in our tests and took far longer.
Can I split a password protected PDF?
No. A file that needs a password to open is refused, and so is one that opens freely but restricts printing or copying with an owner password, because a part made here would drop those restrictions.
Is there a limit on pages or file size?
One file of up to 100 MB and 500 pages per job. The parts together may hold up to 500 pages and 150 MB; a split that would make more stops with a message.
Last updated .