How to Split PDF Pages
To split PDF pages, choose how the document should be cut and save each part as its own PDF. PDFDEN's free PDF splitter can break out every page, cut every N pages or follow ranges you type. It runs in your browser, so the file is never uploaded.
Split PDF: Cut a PDF into smaller files. Free, and your file never leaves your device.
Open Split PDFSteps
Open Split PDF and drop in the PDF.
Choose a mode: every page into its own file, a new file every N pages, or custom ranges.
For custom ranges, type them separated by commas, like 1-3,4-9. Each range becomes one file.
Run the split. A single result downloads as a PDF. Several results download together as a ZIP.
How to split a PDF into multiple files by page range
Custom ranges suit documents with a clear structure, like a report with chapters or a batch of scanned invoices. Type 1-4,5-12,13-20 and you get three PDFs, each holding one section.
Every N pages is faster when the parts are the same length. A stack of two-page forms scanned as one file splits cleanly with N set to 2.
Every page gives one file per page, handy for sending single pages to different people.
Split or extract?
Splitting divides the whole document into parts. Extracting pulls out only the pages you pick and ignores the rest.
If you need pages 3, 7 and 15 and nothing else, Extract PDF Pages is quicker, since you click thumbnails instead of writing ranges. The guide on how to extract pages from a PDF covers it. To throw pages away instead, use Delete PDF Pages.
Split PDF: Cut a PDF into smaller files. Free, and your file never leaves your device.
Open Split PDFSplit PDF pages on a Mac or Windows without extra software
Both systems can save a page range through the print dialog. Open the PDF, print, choose "Save as PDF" (Mac, or Chrome and Edge on Windows) or "Microsoft Print to PDF", and enter the page range. Repeat once for each part you need.
It works for one or two pieces. For ten, the PDF split tool does them in one run. Printing also rebuilds the file, which can lose links and bookmarks.
On a Mac, Preview offers one more option: drag a page thumbnail from the sidebar onto the desktop to save it as a separate PDF. It is handy for pulling out single pages, less so for splitting a whole document.
Put the pieces back together
Split too far? Drop the parts into Merge PDF, drag them into order and save them as one file again. The guide on how to combine PDF files has the details.
Merging keeps text and links as they were, so splitting and joining again does not degrade the pages. You can cut a document apart, swap one section for a new version and stitch it back together without any loss in quality.
Split a large PDF to fit an upload limit
Upload forms and email often reject big files. Splitting is one fix: cut the document into parts that each stay under the limit.
Use custom ranges to keep sections whole, so a reader does not get half a chapter in each file. Check the size of each part after the split. Photo-heavy pages take far more space than text pages, so parts with the same page count can differ a lot in size.
If you would rather keep the document in one piece, try Compress PDF first. The guide on how to reduce PDF file size covers the options.