How to Split a PDF: By Page Range, Single Pages or File Size
A practical guide to the different ways of splitting a PDF, with examples of when to use page ranges, fixed blocks, single-page extraction and size-based splitting.
Splitting a PDF sounds like a single task, but people mean quite different things by it. Sometimes you need one chapter of a long report. Sometimes a scanner has put fifty invoices into one file and each should be separate. Sometimes an upload form simply refuses a file larger than 5 MB. Split PDF handles all of these, and this guide explains which option fits which situation.
Option 1: Custom page ranges
Use custom ranges when you know exactly which pages you want. In the "Range" tab, keep the mode on "Custom" and enter a start and end page, for example 5 to 9. Click "Add Range" to add more ranges. Each range becomes its own PDF.
A few details are worth knowing:
- Page numbers start at 1 and both ends are included: "5 to 9" gives five pages.
- A single page is a range where both numbers are the same, such as 7 to 7.
- If you tick "Merge all ranges into one PDF file", the ranges are joined into a single document in the order you listed them. That is the way to pick scattered pages, for example 2, 5 and 9, into one new file, or to change the order of sections.
Example: a 40-page contract where the other party needs only the main terms (pages 1 to 6) and the signature page (page 40). Add two ranges, 1 to 6 and 40 to 40, tick the merge option and you get one 7-page PDF.
Option 2: Fixed blocks
"Fixed" mode divides the document into equal blocks of a size you choose. Setting 10 pages per file on a 95-page document gives nine files of 10 pages and one of 5. This is ideal for long scans that you want to file in smaller, predictable pieces, or for course material you want to hand out week by week.
Option 3: Odd and even pages
"Smart" mode separates the document into two files: one with the odd pages (1, 3, 5...) and one with the even pages (2, 4, 6...). It is mainly used for manual double-sided printing and for sorting double-sided scans. We explain both uses in detail in our guide to odd and even pages.
Option 4: Every page as its own file
In the "Pages" tab, "Extract All" saves each page as a separate PDF. Choose "Select Pages" instead to click only the pages you are interested in; each selected page is still saved as its own file. This mode suits documents where each page is a self-contained item: a batch of scanned receipts, a set of certificates or one-page forms.
Option 5: Split by file size
The "Size" tab answers a different question: not which pages, but how big each file may be. Enter a maximum, in KB or MB, and the tool fills each part with consecutive pages until the next page would push it over the limit, then starts a new part. The source file's size and page count are shown, so you can estimate how many parts you will get.
Because pages are never cut or re-compressed, a single page that is larger than the limit by itself becomes its own part and stays above the limit. In practice this only happens with very heavy pages, such as uncompressed photos. Set the limit slightly below the real maximum, for example 1.8 MB for a 2 MB upload limit, to stay on the safe side.
Quick decision table
| Your goal | Tab and mode |
|---|---|
| One chapter or section | Range → Custom, one range |
| A few scattered pages in one file | Range → Custom, several ranges + merge |
| Equal parts | Range → Fixed |
| Odd and even pages | Range → Smart |
| Each page separately | Pages → Extract All |
| Some pages, each separately | Pages → Select Pages |
| Stay under an upload limit | Size |
What you download
When the result is a single PDF, it downloads directly. Several files come as a ZIP archive, with names that tell you what each file contains: _range1, _page_12, _part3 and so on, added to the original file name. On phones, the Files app on iPhone and the file manager on Android can open ZIP archives.
Does splitting reduce quality?
No. Splitting copies the original pages into new documents, so text remains sharp and selectable and images keep their resolution. The optional "Allow compression" setting only stores the file structure more compactly; it is lossless and doesn't touch text or images.
Privacy
Documents that need splitting are often long and important: contracts, statements, case files. The whole process runs inside your browser, so the document is never uploaded. You can split the same file several times with different settings until the result is exactly what you need.