Explore Tools

PDF Peak

Light

TutorialSplit PDFPDF Tools

Split PDF Into Multiple Files Step by Step

Tawanda Muzavazi

October 2, 2025

•

9 min read

Learn how to split a PDF into separate files or extract specific pages. Free online tool with multiple splitting options. Complete guide with examples.

Why Split PDF Files?

Splitting PDFs is essential for organizing large documents, extracting specific sections, sharing relevant pages without the entire file, or reducing file sizes for easier emailing. Whether you're dealing with scanned books, lengthy reports, or multi-chapter documents, knowing how to split PDFs efficiently saves time and keeps your workflow organized.

Common reasons to split PDF files:

  • Extract Specific Chapters: Pull individual chapters from textbooks or reports
  • Share Relevant Pages Only: Send specific pages without the entire document
  • Reduce File Size: Break large PDFs into smaller, more manageable files
  • Organize Documents: Separate invoice batches, receipt collections, or contracts
  • Create Separate Deliverables: Divide project documentation by section
  • Archive by Section: Store different parts of annual reports separately
  • Email Attachments: Stay under email size limits by splitting large documents

Quick Method: Use Our Free PDF Splitter

The easiest way to split PDFs is with our free online tool—no software installation, no registration, completely free!

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Go to our PDF Splitter tool
  2. Click "Select PDF file" or drag and drop your PDF
  3. Upload the PDF file you want to split
  4. Choose your splitting method:
    • Split by page range - Extract specific pages (e.g., pages 1-5, 10-15)
    • Extract specific pages - Choose individual pages (e.g., pages 1, 3, 7, 12)
    • Split every X pages - Divide into equal chunks (e.g., every 5 pages)
    • Split into individual pages - Separate every page into its own PDF
  5. Click "Split PDF"
  6. Download your split files (as individual PDFs or a ZIP file)

Why use our splitter?

  • ✓ 100% free with no hidden costs
  • ✓ Multiple splitting options
  • ✓ No file size limits
  • ✓ Fast processing (usually under 10 seconds)
  • ✓ Maintains original quality
  • ✓ Preserves formatting, links, and bookmarks
  • ✓ Automatic file deletion for privacy
  • ✓ Works on all devices and browsers
  • ✓ Batch download as ZIP

Different Ways to Split PDFs

1. Extract Specific Page Ranges

Best for: Extracting chapters, sections, or specific portions

Example: From a 100-page report, extract:

  • Pages 1-10 (Executive Summary)
  • Pages 15-30 (Financial Analysis)
  • Pages 50-65 (Recommendations)

How: Use our splitter and enter "1-10, 15-30, 50-65" to create three separate PDFs.

2. Extract Individual Pages

Best for: Pulling specific pages scattered throughout the document

Example: Extract only pages 2, 7, 15, and 23 from a 50-page document.

How: Select "Extract specific pages" and enter "2, 7, 15, 23".

3. Split Every X Pages

Best for: Dividing large documents into equal-sized chunks

Example: Split a 120-page book into 12 files of 10 pages each.

How: Choose "Split every X pages" and enter "10".

4. Split Into Individual Pages

Best for: Creating separate files for each page

Example: Convert a 20-page PDF into 20 individual PDF files.

How: Select "Split into individual pages" and click Split. Download all files as a ZIP.

Alternative Methods for Splitting PDFs

Method 1: Adobe Acrobat DC

If you have Adobe Acrobat DC (paid subscription):

  1. Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat DC
  2. Click Tools → Organize Pages
  3. Click Split
  4. Choose split method:
    • Number of pages
    • File size
    • Top-level bookmarks
  5. Set output options
  6. Click OK and save the split files

Pros: Professional features, offline access
Cons: Expensive subscription (~$15-20/month)

Method 2: Mac Preview

Mac users can use the built-in Preview app:

  1. Open PDF in Preview
  2. Show sidebar: View → Thumbnails
  3. Select pages you want to extract (Cmd+Click for multiple)
  4. Drag selected thumbnails to desktop or a folder
  5. Each selection becomes a new PDF file

Pros: Free and built-in to macOS
Cons: Only works on Mac, manual process for many splits

Method 3: Google Chrome Print

For quick single-page extraction:

  1. Open PDF in Chrome browser
  2. Press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on Mac) to print
  3. Under "Pages," enter the specific pages to extract (e.g., "5-10")
  4. Choose "Save as PDF" as the destination
  5. Click Save

Note: This creates one new PDF with selected pages. For multiple splits, use our splitter tool.

Method 4: Microsoft Edge

Similar to Chrome, Windows users can use Edge:

  1. Open PDF in Microsoft Edge
  2. Click Print or press Ctrl+P
  3. Select page range under "Pages"
  4. Choose "Save as PDF"
  5. Click Save

Common Use Cases with Step-by-Step Workflows

Use Case 1: Extracting Book Chapters

Scenario: You have a 300-page eBook PDF and want separate files for each chapter.

  1. Open the PDF and note page numbers for each chapter start/end
  2. Go to our PDF splitter
  3. Upload the PDF
  4. Enter page ranges: "1-15, 16-42, 43-78, 79-115..." (one range per chapter)
  5. Click "Split PDF"
  6. Download all chapters as a ZIP file
  7. Rename files: Chapter-01.pdf, Chapter-02.pdf, etc.

Use Case 2: Separating Invoice Batch

Scenario: You have a 60-page PDF with 20 invoices (3 pages each).

  1. Upload to our splitter
  2. Choose "Split every X pages"
  3. Enter "3" (for 3 pages per invoice)
  4. Click "Split PDF"
  5. Download ZIP containing 20 separate invoice PDFs
  6. Rename files by invoice number or client

Use Case 3: Extracting Specific Contract Sections

Scenario: Extract pages 1 (cover), 5-8 (terms), and 25 (signature page) from a 30-page contract.

  1. Go to our splitter
  2. Upload the contract PDF
  3. Select "Extract specific pages"
  4. Enter "1, 5-8, 25"
  5. Click "Split PDF"
  6. Download the extracted 6-page PDF

Use Case 4: Creating Individual Page Images

Scenario: Convert each page of a presentation to a separate image file.

  1. Upload presentation PDF to our splitter
  2. Choose "Split into individual pages"
  3. Click "Split PDF"
  4. Download all pages as separate PDFs
  5. Use our PDF to JPG converter to convert each PDF to image
  6. Or use PDF to PNG converter for higher quality

Use Case 5: Reducing File Size for Email

Scenario: A 25MB, 50-page report is too large to email (10MB limit).

  1. Upload to our splitter
  2. Choose "Split every X pages" with "25" (creates 2 files of 25 pages)
  3. Click "Split PDF"
  4. Alternatively, use our PDF compressor to reduce size without splitting
  5. Email both parts separately, or share via cloud storage

Best Practices for Splitting PDFs

1. Plan Your Split Strategy

  • Review the PDF structure before splitting
  • Note page numbers for key sections
  • Decide on logical split points (chapter breaks, topic changes)
  • Consider your audience—what sections do different recipients need?

2. Use Descriptive File Names

After splitting, rename files for easy identification:

  • Bad: "output_1.pdf", "output_2.pdf"
  • Good: "2025-Annual-Report-Executive-Summary.pdf", "2025-Annual-Report-Financials.pdf"
  • Include dates, section names, or version numbers

3. Organize Split Files

  • Create a dedicated folder for split files
  • Use subfolders for different categories
  • Keep the original PDF as a master copy
  • Document your splitting structure in a README file

4. Maintain Consistency

  • Use the same naming convention for similar documents
  • Split at logical, consistent points (every chapter, every 10 pages, etc.)
  • Include page numbers in filenames if order matters

5. Verify Split Results

  • Open each split file to ensure it contains the correct pages
  • Check that no pages are missing or duplicated
  • Verify that formatting, images, and links are preserved

Advanced Splitting Techniques

Splitting by Bookmarks

If your PDF has bookmarks (table of contents), you can split at each bookmark:

  1. Some tools (like Adobe Acrobat) can split automatically at top-level bookmarks
  2. Or manually note bookmark page numbers
  3. Use our splitter to extract those page ranges

Splitting by File Size

To create files under a specific size (e.g., 5MB):

  1. Check original file size and page count
  2. Calculate pages per split (e.g., 100-page 20MB file → split every 25 pages for ~5MB files)
  3. Use our splitter with "Split every X pages"
  4. Or use compression if size reduction without splitting is preferred

Splitting Scanned Documents

For scanned multi-page documents:

  1. Ensure pages are in correct order before splitting
  2. Use our rotation tool first if pages are sideways
  3. Split by logical document boundaries (one receipt per file, one form per file)
  4. Consider using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) before splitting to add searchable text

Extracting and Excluding Pages

To create a PDF without certain pages:

  1. Determine which pages to keep vs. remove
  2. Use our delete pages tool to remove unwanted pages
  3. Or use our splitter to extract only the pages you want

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Problem: Split PDF Missing Pages

Solution:

  • Double-check page range syntax (use "1-5" not "1 to 5")
  • Ensure no typos in page numbers
  • Verify the original PDF has the pages you're trying to extract
  • Remember: Page numbering starts at 1, not 0

Problem: Can't Split Password-Protected PDF

Solution:

Problem: Split Files Are Too Large

Solution:

  • Split into smaller chunks (fewer pages per file)
  • Use our PDF compressor on each split file
  • Check if the original contains high-resolution images that could be optimized

Problem: Links Don't Work in Split PDFs

Solution:

  • Internal links (to other pages) will break if target pages aren't in the same split file
  • External links (websites) should work fine in split files
  • Our splitter preserves external links automatically

Problem: Formatting Looks Different

Solution:

  • This is rare with our tool, which preserves formatting
  • If fonts look wrong, the original PDF may have missing embedded fonts
  • Try viewing in different PDF readers (Adobe Reader, Chrome, Edge)

Problem: Downloaded ZIP File Is Empty

Solution:

  • Try downloading again (temporary network issue)
  • Check your browser's download folder
  • Try a different browser
  • Clear browser cache and retry

Splitting vs. Other PDF Operations

When to Split vs. Delete Pages

  • Split: When you need multiple separate files
  • Delete: When you want one file with certain pages removed
  • Use our delete pages tool for removing unwanted pages

When to Split vs. Extract Images

  • Split: When you need pages as separate PDF files
  • Extract Images: When you only need images from pages, not the full pages
  • Use our image extraction tool to pull out images

When to Split vs. Merge

  • Split: Breaking one PDF into multiple files
  • Merge: Combining multiple PDFs into one file (opposite operation)
  • Use our PDF merger to combine split files back together

Security and Privacy

Online Splitting Safety

When using online PDF tools:

  • HTTPS Encryption: All uploads use secure HTTPS connections
  • Automatic Deletion: Files deleted immediately after processing
  • No Storage: We don't keep, view, or share your documents
  • Privacy First: No account required, no tracking

Protecting Split Files

After splitting sensitive documents:

  • Use our PDF protection tool to add passwords
  • Restrict permissions (prevent copying, printing, editing)
  • Use different passwords for different split sections
  • Share passwords securely (not in the same email as the PDF)

Related PDF Tools

Enhance your PDF workflow with these tools:

Comparing Split Methods

Method Cost Ease Options Best For
PDFPeak Splitter Free Very Easy Many Most users
Adobe Acrobat DC $15-20/mo Moderate Advanced Professionals
Mac Preview Free Easy Limited Mac users
Browser Print Free Moderate Basic Quick extracts

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is splitting PDFs free?

A: Yes! Our PDF splitter is completely free with no limits, watermarks, or hidden fees.

Q: Can I split a PDF by page range?

A: Absolutely! Enter page ranges like "1-10, 15-20" to extract specific sections.

Q: Does splitting reduce PDF quality?

A: No. Split files maintain the exact same quality as the original PDF—no compression or quality loss.

Q: Can I split password-protected PDFs?

A: You'll need to remove the password first using our unlock tool, then split the file.

Q: How do I merge split PDFs back together?

A: Use our PDF merger to combine split files back into one document.

Q: What's the maximum file size I can split?

A: Our tool handles PDFs of any reasonable size. Very large files (>100MB) may take a bit longer to process.

Q: Can I split a PDF into individual pages?

A: Yes! Select "Split into individual pages" and download all pages as a ZIP file.

Conclusion

Splitting PDFs is a powerful way to organize documents, extract relevant sections, reduce file sizes, and share specific information without sending entire files. Our free PDF splitter tool makes this process effortless with multiple splitting options to fit any need.

Key takeaways:

  • Choose the right split method for your needs (range, individual pages, every X pages)
  • Plan your split strategy before uploading
  • Rename split files descriptively for easy identification
  • Verify split results to ensure all pages are correct
  • Protect sensitive split files with passwords

Ready to split your PDF? Try our free PDF splitter now and organize your documents in seconds!

Back to Blog
Split PDF Into Multiple Files Step by Step | PDF Peak