How to Split a PDF Into Multiple Files
Whether you need to pull out one chapter, separate a scanned batch into individual documents, or just cut a long file in half, splitting a PDF doesn't require installing anything. Here's how to do it for free, directly in your browser.
Common reasons to split a PDF
- Pulling a single chapter or section out of a long report
- Separating a batch-scanned document into individual files (e.g. one PDF per invoice or per form)
- Extracting just the pages you need to send someone, without sharing the whole document
- Breaking an oversized file into smaller parts to get under an upload or attachment limit
Step-by-step guide
- Open the Split tool and drop in your PDF.
- Wait for the page previews to load — every page appears as its own thumbnail.
- Click "Cut after" under any page where you want a new file to start. Mark as many cut points as you need.
- Remove any pages you don't want in the output at all, using the ✕ on that thumbnail.
- Click "Split & Download" — if you made one cut, you get two PDFs; multiple cuts download as a single .zip containing all the resulting files, each named by its page range.
Splitting vs. extracting — what's the difference?
"Splitting" usually implies dividing a document into several pieces, while "extracting" means pulling out just the pages you want and discarding the rest. This tool handles both at once: mark cut points to split into multiple files, or simply exclude every page you don't want and make one cut (or none) to extract a single clean selection.
Frequently asked questions
Can I split a PDF into more than two files?
Yes — mark as many "Cut after" points as you need. Each one starts a new file, and all the resulting files download together in a single .zip.
How are the split files named?
Each file is named using the original filename plus the page range it contains — for example, report-pages-1-4.pdf and report-pages-5-9.pdf.
Can I remove pages instead of splitting?
Yes. Exclude any pages you don't want with the ✕ on their thumbnail — they're left out of every output file, whether you're splitting into multiple files or just extracting one clean copy.
Is my file uploaded anywhere during this process?
No. The entire process — loading, previewing, splitting — happens locally in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server.