How to Split a PDF into Separate Pages or Sections
Received a 50-page report and only need pages 10–15? Scanned a multi-document file and need to separate it? Splitting a PDF is one of the most common document tasks — and you don't need paid software to do it.
Common Reasons to Split a PDF
- Extracting specific pages from a multi-chapter report
- Separating bank statements or invoices scanned into one file
- Breaking a large PDF into smaller email-friendly sections
- Isolating a single contract page to share without the full document
- Dividing a scanned booklet into individual chapters
Split Methods Explained
By page range
Extract pages 5–12 as a new PDF. Best when you need one specific section of a document.
Every N pages
Split every 5 pages to create equal-sized chunks. Useful for dividing long scanned documents into chapters.
Extract individual pages
Pull out specific non-consecutive pages (e.g. pages 1, 4, and 9) into one new file.
Split into single-page PDFs
Create one PDF file per page. Useful when you need to process or store pages individually.
How to Split a PDF Online (Free)
Our Split PDF tool runs entirely in your browser — your file is never uploaded to any server.
- Open the Split PDF tool
- Upload your PDF
- Enter the page range you want to extract (e.g.
3-7) or choose to split every N pages - Click Split and download the result
Split PDFs on Mac (Preview)
macOS Preview can extract pages without extra software:
- Open the PDF in Preview and show the thumbnail sidebar (View → Thumbnails)
- Select the pages you want to extract (Cmd+click for multiple)
- Drag the selected thumbnails to the Desktop — macOS creates a new PDF from them automatically
Split PDFs on Windows
Windows has no built-in PDF split tool. Options:
- Browser tool (recommended): Use the Split PDF tool above — works in any browser
- PDFsam Basic (free desktop app): Open-source tool with split, merge, and rotate — no upload needed
- Adobe Acrobat Pro: Paid software with the most control, but not necessary for basic splits
After Splitting: Compress If Needed
Even a small extracted section of an image-heavy PDF can be large. Run the result through the Compress PDF tool to reduce file size before sharing.
PDF tools — free, private, browser-based