Split PDF
Pull out just the pages you need, or break a PDF into one file per page. Everything happens in your browser — your file is never uploaded anywhere.
What splitting a PDF is good for
Big PDFs are often more than anyone needs. Splitting lets you send just chapter 3 of a report instead of all 120 pages, extract the one signed page from a contract, share a single ticket out of a booking confirmation, or pull the pages of a scanned book that matter to you. It's also the practical way to remove pages: extract everything except the pages you don't want, and the result is your "deleted-pages" version.
| Goal | How |
|---|---|
| Send one chapter or section | Extract range, e.g. pages 12–24 |
| Remove the first (cover) page | Extract pages 2 to the end |
| File each invoice separately | Every page as a separate PDF (ZIP) |
| Rearrange a document | Extract ranges, then recombine with Merge PDF |
Range vs. one-file-per-page
Extract page range gives you a single new PDF containing pages "from" through "to" (inclusive) — perfect when you know exactly which stretch you need. Every page as a separate PDF creates one small PDF per page and bundles them into a ZIP file, which is handy when each page is its own document, like a stack of scanned receipts or individually issued certificates.
Nothing is re-compressed, and what that does and does not guarantee
Splitting here copies whole pages between documents rather than rendering and re-saving them. The text stays selectable, the images keep their original compression, and a scanned page comes out byte-for-byte as good as it went in. There is no quality setting because there is no quality decision — unlike an image tool, nothing is being re-encoded.
What does not automatically survive is everything attached to the document rather than to a page. Copying pages carries the page content and its own resources; the surrounding structure belongs to the file you left behind:
| Survives the split | Usually does not |
|---|---|
| Text, fonts and selectable content | Bookmarks and the outline pane |
| Images at their original quality | Filled-in form fields |
| Page size, rotation and orientation | Links that pointed to a page you did not keep |
| Vector graphics | Digital signatures, which any edit invalidates by design |
The signature row is the one worth remembering. A signed PDF is signed as a whole file; extracting pages produces a new document, and the signature no longer applies to it. That is the point of the signature, not a limitation of this tool — but it does mean a split copy of a signed contract is not a signed contract.
Why the pieces do not add up to the original size
Split a 10 MB, 100-page report into ten 10-page files and the total will usually be well over 10 MB. Fonts and any image used on more than one page are stored once in the original; each output file needs its own copy of whatever its pages reference. A single embedded font can be several hundred kilobytes, and it now appears ten times.
The effect runs the other way too: pulling one page out of a large document often produces a file far bigger than a hundredth of the original, for exactly the same reason. If size matters more than fidelity, compress the output afterwards rather than expecting the split to shrink it.
Frequently asked questions
Is my PDF uploaded to your server?
No. The file is read and split entirely inside your browser — it never leaves your device, and nothing is stored or logged.
Does splitting change the quality of the pages?
No. Pages are copied into the new files exactly as they are — text stays searchable and images keep their original quality.
Can I split a password-protected PDF?
No. Encrypted PDFs can't be opened without the password, so you'll see an error message. Unlock and re-save the file in a PDF viewer first, then split it here.
How large a PDF can I split?
There's no set limit, but the work runs in your browser's memory. Typical documents split instantly; very large scans (hundreds of megabytes) may be slow or fail on low-memory devices, especially in one-file-per-page mode.
Can I extract several separate ranges at once?
Run the tool once per range — the source file stays loaded, so just change the numbers and click split again. To join the pieces into one file afterwards, use our Merge PDF tool.