Split a PDF three different ways
Somebody emailed you a 60-page scan with six different documents mashed together. Or your bank statement covers the whole year and you only need March. Splitting fixes that. Pick one of three modes:
- Every page. Each page becomes its own PDF. A 20-page file turns into 20 one-page files, named in order.
- Custom ranges. Type something like
1-3, 5, 8-10and you get three PDFs: pages 1 to 3, page 5 by itself, and pages 8 to 10. This is the one most people want. - Every N pages. Split into equal chunks. Set it to 2 and a 10-page file becomes five 2-page files. Great for scanned double-sided forms or batches of invoices that are all the same length.
How the download works
If the split only makes one file, you get a normal PDF download. If it makes several, they come bundled in a single ZIP so your browser doesn't ask you twenty times whether you really want to download twenty files. Every computer and phone can open a ZIP: double-click it on Windows or Mac, or tap it in the Files app on iPhone.
Files are named after your original with the page numbers tacked on, like lease-p1-3.pdf, so you can tell them apart without opening each one.
Writing page ranges
The custom ranges box is pretty forgiving, but here's the cheat sheet:
1-5means pages 1 through 5, in one file.1-5, 6-10means two files.3by itself means page 3 alone.10-means page 10 through the end.- Spaces don't matter. Commas separate files.
If you type a page number that doesn't exist, like page 40 of a 30-page PDF, we'll tell you instead of quietly making a weird file.
Split vs. extract: which one do I need?
They're cousins. Split gives you several separate PDFs. Extract pages gives you one new PDF with only the pages you picked, all together. If you want to pull pages 2, 7 and 15 into a single short file to send someone, use extract. If you want each section as its own file, use split.
And if you just want to get rid of a few pages and keep the rest, Delete PDF pages is the quicker route.
Does splitting lower the quality?
No. Pages get copied over exactly as they are. Text stays selectable, images stay sharp, and forms and links on those pages usually come along too. The new files are often a little smaller in total because each one only holds what it needs, though shared stuff like fonts gets copied into each file.
Private by default
Like everything on JoinPDFs, splitting happens in your browser. Your PDF isn't uploaded to us. That matters when the file is a contract, a medical record or a stack of pay stubs, which, let's be honest, is most of what people split.
A couple of handy workflows
Sorting a big scan
Scanned a pile of mail in one go? Flip through the preview, note where each document starts, then type ranges like 1-2, 3-6, 7, 8-12. Done in one pass.
Sending chapters
Got a long report and want to send each section to a different person? Split by chapter ranges and attach each one separately. If any piece is still too big for email, run it through Compress PDF.
Undoing a merge
Combined some files and changed your mind? Split them back apart using the page counts. Or, if you just need to swap the order, open it in Organize PDF instead.