Split PDF files by page or range
Large PDFs are often a bundle of separate documents: twelve monthly statements, a contract with its appendices, a batch of scanned invoices. Split the PDF here and each part becomes its own file. The page thumbnails help you see where one document ends and the next begins.
Three ways to split
| Option | Example with a 10-page PDF |
|---|---|
| Every page | 10 files with one page each |
| Every N pages | N = 3 gives pages 1–3, 4–6, 7–9 and 10 |
| Custom ranges | 1-2, 3-8, 9- gives three files: 1–2, 3–8 and 9–10 |
In custom ranges each comma starts a new file, and 9- means "page 9 to the end". To pull out a single page, type just its number, for example 4. Files are named after the original with the page numbers, such as report-pages-3-8.pdf, so they sort in order.
What each part contains
Each part is a new PDF built from its own pages. Text, images, fonts, annotations and page rotation are copied unchanged, so nothing is re-compressed. Links between pages in the same part keep working. Links to pages that ended up in another part are removed, so they cannot pull hidden copies of those pages into the file. Bookmarks, fillable form fields and the original's metadata are not carried over.
Fonts and images used on several pages are copied into every part that needs them. That is why the parts together can be larger than the original file.
Common uses
- Separating scans: a stack of receipts or letters scanned in one go becomes one file per document.
- Sharing only what is needed: send one chapter, one invoice or one signed page instead of the whole file.
- Upload limits: portals that accept files only up to a certain size take a long document in parts.
Password-protected PDFs
Encrypted PDFs are not split. The new files would lose the original's password protection. Remove the password in the application that created the PDF, split it, and protect the parts again if needed.
To put files back together, use Merge PDF. To drop a few pages instead of splitting, use Delete PDF pages, and to turn single pages into images, PDF to JPG.