Sometimes you only need part of a PDF: a single page to send on, the first chapter of a report, or a form pulled out of a long scan. Splitting a PDF lets you extract exactly the pages you want into a new file — free, in your browser, with no watermark and no upload. Here is how to do it and how page ranges work.
Split a PDF in 3 steps
- Upload your PDF. Open the merge & split PDF tool and switch to the Split PDF tab, then add your file.
- Enter the pages. Type the range you want to keep, for example
1-3, 5, 8-10. - Split and download. Click Split PDF to get a new file with just those pages.
Extract any pages from a PDF in seconds. Free, no watermark, no sign-up.
Split a PDF now →How page ranges work
Page ranges are the simplest way to tell the tool what to keep:
5→ just page 5 (extract a single page).1-3→ pages 1, 2 and 3 (a continuous block).1-3, 8-10→ two separate blocks in one file.1-3, 5, 8-10→ mix of ranges and single pages, kept in that order.
Pages are numbered from 1, and anything outside the document is simply ignored — so if your PDF has 12 pages and you type 10-20, you get pages 10, 11 and 12.
Common reasons to split a PDF
- Send only what's needed: pull one invoice or form out of a long batch.
- Remove pages: keep the range you want and drop covers, blanks or appendices.
- Separate scans: split a stack scanned as one file into individual documents.
- Share a chapter: extract a section of a report or e-book.
- Reduce size: a few pages make a much smaller file to email.
Other free ways to split a PDF
Any computer: "Save as PDF" with a page range
Chrome and Edge can do it with no extra software. Open the PDF in the browser, press Ctrl + P (⌘ + P on a Mac), set the destination to Save as PDF (in Edge also "Microsoft Print to PDF"), choose Pages → Custom and type the range, such as 1-3, 5. Click Save and you get a new PDF with only those pages. The drawback: links and form fields may be lost, because the pages are "printed".
Mac: Preview
Open the PDF in Preview, choose View → Thumbnails, select the pages you want and drag them to the desktop: Preview creates a new PDF with them. To delete pages instead, select them in the sidebar, press Delete and use File → Export as PDF.
iPhone and iPad
Open the PDF, tap Share → Print, choose the page range in the print options and then tap Share in the print preview to save the result to Files as a new PDF.
Private by design
A browser-based splitter does all the work on your own device — your PDF is never uploaded to a server. That matters when the document contains personal or confidential information, and it is also faster because there is no upload step.
Need the opposite? See how to merge PDF files to combine several documents into one.
Frequently asked questions
How do I split a PDF for free?
Upload your PDF to a browser-based tool, type the page range to keep (e.g. 1-3, 5) and click Split. You get a new PDF with those pages, free and watermark-free.
How do page ranges work?
1-3 keeps pages 1–3; combine ranges and single pages with commas: 1-3, 5, 8-10 keeps pages 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9 and 10 in that order.
How do I extract a single page?
Enter just that page number as the range (e.g. 7) to get a one-page PDF with only that page.
Can I split without uploading?
Yes — a browser tool splits the file locally, so it never leaves your device.
Does splitting reduce quality?
No. Selected pages are copied as-is with no re-compression.
How do I split a PDF into several separate files?
Run the split once for each part you need: for example 1-4 for the first file, 5-9 for the second and so on. Each run gives you a separate PDF with only those pages.
Can I split a protected PDF?
Not directly — unlock it first, then split the unlocked copy.