Say a client sends over a 40-page scanned contract and you only need to forward page 12, the signature page, to your accountant. Or you've got a 200-page report and want each chapter as its own file so colleagues can review sections in parallel. That's what Split PDF is for: breaking one document into the pieces you need, all inside your browser.
Split is the wrong tool if you're going the other way and need to combine several files into one — that's the Merge guide. And if you want to keep one file but drop a few pages, Remove Pages or Organize PDF is quicker.
Step-by-step: splitting a PDF in the browser
- Open the Split PDF tool, or click the "Split PDF" card on the home page.
- Click the drop zone or drag in the PDF. The tool shows how many pages the document has.
- Choose how to split. One PDF per page creates a file for every page. Custom ranges creates one file per range, for example 1-3, 4-6, 7- (a range ending with a dash runs to the last page). Extract selected pages into one PDF creates a single file with the pages you list, for example 1, 3, 5-8.
- Click "Process now." The tool copies the pages you asked for into new documents with pdf-lib, without re-rendering them, so text and quality are unchanged.
- Your browser downloads the result: split-pages.zip for one PDF per page, a zip of files named like pages-1-3.pdf for several ranges, or a single PDF when there is only one output file.
- Open the files and check that the pages are the ones you expected, especially if the printed page numbers in the document differ from the PDF's page positions.
Common mistakes
- Typing page numbers that don't exist. If a range goes past the last page or is written in a way the tool can't read, it shows a message with the document's page count instead of producing a file.
- Confusing printed page numbers with page positions. The tool counts pages from the first page of the file, including covers and blank pages, not the numbers printed at the bottom of each page.
- Expecting one file from "One PDF per page". That mode always produces a zip with one PDF per page. Use "Extract selected pages into one PDF" when you want a single file.
- Selecting multiple files at once. Only the first file is split; process other documents one at a time.
- Assuming splitting removes content. Each page keeps its full original content, including hidden layers and metadata. Review sensitive pages before sharing them.
FAQ
Does splitting a PDF give me one file or several?
It depends on the mode. "One PDF per page" gives you a zip with one PDF for each page. "Custom ranges" gives you one PDF per range, in a zip when there is more than one range. "Extract selected pages into one PDF" gives you a single PDF with only the pages you listed.
Can I split out just a page range, like pages 3 to 7?
Yes. Choose "Extract selected pages into one PDF" and type 3-7, or choose "Custom ranges" if you want several ranges as separate files, for example 1-2, 3-7, 8-. A range ending with a dash, like 8-, runs to the last page.
What happens if I select more than one file for splitting?
Only the first file you select or drop is split. To split several documents, run the tool once for each one.
Is there a page limit for splitting?
There's no fixed cap, since everything runs locally in your browser with pdf-lib. Very long documents or scans with large images just take longer and use more of your device's memory.
Checklist before you share split pages
- The right mode was chosen: every page, ranges, or a single extracted file
- Page numbers were typed as positions in the file, not printed page numbers
- The downloaded files were opened and their pages spot-checked
- Only the files you meant to share are sent
- Sensitive pages were reviewed before distribution
- The original PDF is kept in case you need to split it differently