Split a PDF
Drop in a document, say which pages you want, and take them out. Your file never leaves this tab.
Split files appear here.
How to use it#
- Drop a PDF into the box above.
- Write the pages you want, such as 1-3, 7, 10 onwards.
- Choose one PDF of those pages, or a separate file for each.
- The pages are taken out as you choose them. Press Download PDF, or Download ZIP for a file per page.
How to write the page selection#
A single number takes one page. A range like 2-5 takes everything from the second to the fifth, and you can list as many as you need separated by commas: 1-3, 7, 12-14.
An open range works in both directions. 10- takes page ten to the end, which saves counting, and -3 takes everything up to the third. A range written backwards, like 5-2, is read as 2-5 rather than rejected, since the intent is obvious.
Pages are numbered from one, the way they are in a reader, not from zero. Asking for a page past the end is refused rather than quietly ignored, because a file silently missing the pages you asked for is worse than an error.
One document or a file each#
One PDF keeps the selected pages together in a single new document, in page order. That is what you want when you are pulling a chapter, an appendix, or the signature pages out of something longer.
A file per page gives you one PDF for each page, delivered as a zip so it is a single download. That suits splitting a batch of scanned invoices or statements back into individual documents.
What the pages take with them#
Each page carries its own content, fonts, and images, so a page taken out of a report is the page that was in it. Text stays selectable, nothing is turned into a picture, and nothing is re-compressed.
A split page is not much smaller than you might hope. The fonts a page uses are embedded in the new file, and an embedded font subset can be a few hundred kilobytes on its own, so a single page out of a two hundred page document is rarely a two hundredth of the size.
Bookmarks, form fields, and annotations belong to the original document rather than to its pages, and do not come across.
Splitting is not redacting#
Taking pages out removes those pages from the new file, which is genuinely all it does. It is a reasonable way to avoid sending someone the rest of a document, and no way at all to hide something on a page you are keeping.
Content covered by a black box is still in the file underneath it, and can be selected, copied, or extracted by anyone who knows to try. Real redaction removes the text from the page, not just the sight of it.
Frequently asked questions#
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?
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No. The pages are taken out in this tab. Nothing is sent to a server, which for a statement, a contract, or a medical letter is the only sensible answer.
How do I write the page selection?
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Numbers and ranges separated by commas, such as 1-3, 7, 12-14. Use 10- for page ten to the end and -3 for the start up to page three. Spaces do not matter, a backwards range like 5-2 is read as 2-5, and a page past the end is refused rather than ignored.
Can I get each page as its own file?
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Yes. Choose a file per page and you get one PDF for each page you selected, bundled into a single zip so it is one download rather than forty.
Why is one page almost as big as the whole document?
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Because the fonts come with it. A page embeds the typefaces it uses, and a font subset can be hundreds of kilobytes, so a single page from a long report is rarely a tiny file.
Can I split a password protected PDF?
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Not directly. An encrypted document is refused, including one that opens without a password but is restricted against printing or copying. If it asks for a password to open, take that off with the PDF password remover and split the unlocked copy. A file with only printing or copying restrictions needs its owner password in the remover, or an unrestricted copy from whoever made it.