How to split a PDF into several files

Step by step

1. Open the split tool. Go to Split PDF in a current browser. There is nothing to install and no account to create.
2. Select your PDF. Click “Select PDF file” or drag and drop a PDF onto the page. Page previews appear in a few seconds.
3. Choose how to split. Click the scissors between two thumbnails, or pick “Every N pages”, “Custom ranges” or “Odd and even pages”. For ranges, type something like 1-3, 4-8, 9-.
4. Check the previews. The previews show which pages end up in which file. If you placed a cut by mistake, click the same scissors again to undo it.
5. Split the file. Click “Split PDF”. Your browser creates the new files on your device, and nothing is uploaded.
6. Download the parts. Download each file on its own, or click “Download all (ZIP)” to get every part at once.

Which split method to use

• Click between pages: the fastest way to cut a scanned stack of invoices or letters into separate documents. A new file starts after the page where you click the scissors.
• Every N pages: cuts the document into equal parts, for example every 5 pages. Keep N at 1 to get single pages.
• Custom ranges: type ranges separated by commas. 1-3 means pages 1 to 3, 5 is a single page, and 8- means page 8 to the end. So 1-3, 4-6, 7- creates three files.
• Odd and even pages: gives you two files, one with pages 1, 3, 5… and one with pages 2, 4, 6…. This is handy for the front and back sides of a double-sided scan.

When to split, and when to use another tool

Split when one file holds several documents and you need all of them as separate PDFs. Examples are chapters that go to different people, separate invoices from one scan, or a long file you have to send in parts because an upload form or email will not take it in one piece.

You only need some of the pages

Use Extract PDF pages. You pick the pages you want and get them in one new file, or as one PDF per page. The original PDF stays unchanged.

You want to get rid of some pages

Use Remove PDF pages. You mark the pages to remove and download one clean PDF without them. The new file is built only from the pages you keep, so the removed content is really gone.

In short: splitting gives you several files that cover the whole document. Extracting gives you one new file with only the pages you pick. Removing gives you one file without the pages you mark.

Common problems

• The PDF has a password. Remove it first with Unlock PDF (you need to know the password), then split the unlocked file.
• The parts have no bookmarks. This is expected, because bookmarks from the original file are not copied. Text, images, links and form fields on the pages stay unchanged.
• A very large file is slow. There is no fixed page or size limit, but the work happens on your device, so its memory is the real limit. On phones, files of several hundred megabytes may be slow.
• A part contains the wrong pages. Check the previews before you click “Split PDF”. They show which pages end up in which file.

Tools used in this guide

• Split PDF
• Extract PDF pages
• Remove PDF pages

Related guides

• How to extract pages from a PDF and save them as a new file
• How to delete pages from a PDF
• How to merge PDF files into one document