Split a PDF or extract pages
Cut one PDF into parts, or pull out only the pages you need. Type the pages you want, or split after every few pages.
- Price
- Free
- Sign-up
- None
- Files
Your file stays on your device. Nothing is uploaded, and the text in your pages stays selectable.
Add your PDF
Drag a PDF file here, or
One PDF at a time.
What this tool can handle
We set no limit on how many files you use or how big they are. The real limit is your device's memory: each file is read whole, copied while it is worked on, and the result is built in memory too, so a job needs several times the size of its files.
Rough guide: a laptop or desktop copes with a few hundred megabytes in total; a phone, about a hundred. In our own test on a recent Mac, merging six files of 100 MB each (600 MB in all) took about two seconds, and splitting one 200 MB file into ten parts took about two seconds too. Those were simple test files; real documents with thousands of small objects take longer.
We have not tested every phone, so big files may fail on yours. If a job fails, use fewer or smaller files at a time.
Check for yourself that nothing is uploaded
- Open the page and wait for it to load fully.
- Turn off Wi-Fi, or switch on airplane mode.
- Add your files and run the tool. It keeps working, because the work happens in this tab and not on a server.
- For a closer look, open your browser's developer tools, choose the Network tab and run the tool again: no request carries your files.
Need a website to go with it? See Digital Works Forge website packages. A small San Antonio studio that builds sites for local businesses.
How to split a PDF
- Add the PDF. Drag a PDF onto the box or choose it. You will see its page count and size.
- Pick how to split. Choose one file for each range, one file with chosen pages, or a new file after every few pages.
- Type the pages. For ranges and chosen pages, type something like 1-3, 5, 8-10. The preview under the box tells you at once what will be made, or what is wrong.
- Make the files. Press the button. A progress line shows the pages being copied.
- Download. A single result downloads as a PDF. Several results can be saved one by one, or all together as one ZIP file.
How to write the pages
Write pages the way you would on a print dialog. Separate pieces with commas. A dash joins two pages into a range, so 3-6 means pages 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Single pages and ranges
1-3, 5, 8-10 means pages 1 to 3, page 5, and pages 8 to 10. Spaces do not matter.
Open ends
8- means from page 8 to the end, and -3 means from the start to page 3.
The last page
Type last for the final page, so 2-last means everything from page 2 on. In Spanish pages you can type última.
Backwards ranges
5-2 reads backwards: 5, 4, 3, 2. This is handy for a result in reverse order.
Repeated pages
A page typed twice is counted once. The preview says how many repeats were ignored.
If something cannot be read, the tool names the piece it is stuck on and says why: a word where a number should be, page 0, or a page past the end of the file.
Three ways to split
A file for each range
Every comma-separated piece becomes its own PDF. Use it to break a combined scan into the documents it contains.
One file with chosen pages
All the pages you type go into a single PDF in the order typed. Use it to extract the pages you need and leave the rest.
Every few pages
A new file starts after a set number of pages. Use it to split a long statement into months, or a book scan into chapters of equal length.
Many parts, one download
When a split makes more than one file, you can save each part on its own or take all of them in one ZIP. The ZIP is built on your device, like everything else. File names are based on the original name and the pages they hold, such as report-pages-1-3.pdf, and a repeated name gets a number so nothing overwrites anything.
What the new files keep
Pages are copied, not redrawn. Text stays selectable and searchable, and each page keeps its size and turn. Bookmarks and fillable form fields are not carried into the parts. If a file has them, you are told before you split.
The original file is never changed. You always get new files, and your PDF stays where it was.
Tips for clean results
- Look at the page count first, so you know that last means the right thing.
- To remove a few pages, it can be quicker to list the pages you want to keep than the ones you want to drop. The reorder tool also lets you delete pages while you look at them.
- For a long file, split in two steps: first into big sections, then split a section further.
- Very large files can fail on a phone. A computer has more room.
Related tools
Reorder, rotate and delete pages
Look at the pages and remove the ones you do not need.
Merge PDF files
Join the parts back together in a new order.
Put a signature picture on a PDF
Sign the page you pulled out.
Frequently asked questions
Is my PDF uploaded when I split it?
No. The file is read in your browser and split there. Nothing is sent to a server.
How do I extract just a few pages?
Choose One file with chosen pages, type the pages you want, such as 4, 9-11, and make the file.
Can I split into one file per page?
Choose Every few pages and set 1. You get a file for each page, which you can download together as a ZIP.
What does 8- mean?
From page 8 to the last page. You can also type last, as in 8-last.
Why does the tool refuse my pages?
Because a piece cannot be read, or points to a page that is not in the file. The message names the piece and the page count so you can fix it.
Will the text still be selectable?
Yes. Pages are copied, not turned into pictures.
Is there a size or page limit?
None of ours. Your device's memory is the limit, so very large files may fail on a phone.
Does it change my original file?
No. You get new files and your original stays as it was.