How to Split a PDF into Separate Files
Updated October 2026
One large PDF is sometimes the wrong shape for the job: a scan of ten separate invoices, a book with chapters, a document that is too big to email. Splitting it takes a minute and does not require an upload.
Split a PDF in four steps
- Open the Split PDF tool.
- Choose your PDF or drag it onto the page.
- Pick "every page separately", or enter page ranges for each part.
- Click Split PDF and download the ZIP with the parts.
Which option to choose
| Situation | Choose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A scan where every page is a separate document | Every page separately | 10 pages become 10 files |
| A document with chapters or sections | Page ranges | 1-12, 13-30, 31-45 |
| A file that is too large for email | Page ranges, in two or three halves | 1-50, 51-100 |
| You only need one part | Extract PDF Pages | 5-8 |
Opening the ZIP file
The parts come in one ZIP file so you only download once. On Windows and on a Mac, double-click the ZIP to open it. On a phone, tap it in your files app. Inside are the separate PDFs.
Tips for a clean split
- Look through the original first and write down where each part starts and ends.
- Ranges should not overlap, unless you want a page to appear in two files.
- Check the page count of each part after splitting, they should add up to the original.
- Keep the original until you have checked the parts.
If you only need some pages
Splitting makes several files. If you want just a few pages in a single new file, use Extract PDF Pages instead.
And if you later need to put parts back together, Merge PDF combines them again.