Split PDF: Divide PDFs in Your Browser, Without Uploading

What does splitting a PDF mean?

Splitting takes one PDF and produces multiple PDFs from it. The output PDFs together contain all the pages of the input, partitioned according to the split rule you choose. Splitting does not modify the original file: it reads the input and writes new output files. Each output is a normal PDF, openable in any reader, printable, searchable, and editable like any other PDF. The text, fonts, images, and embedded content survive the split intact.

Splitting is the inverse of merging. Merging combines multiple PDFs into one; splitting takes one and produces multiple. Together with compressing, these are the three most common PDF operations. Over 40,000 people search "split pdf" every month in the US alone. The reason is mundane: most PDFs in business workflows are too long, too combined, or too large for the next step. Splitting solves that bottleneck.

Mode 1: Split by page ranges

This is the most flexible mode. Type a comma-separated list of page ranges and the tool creates one output PDF per range. The syntax accepts single pages (e.g. "5") and ranges (e.g. "1-10"), separated by commas. Spaces around commas are optional. Examples: "1-5, 6-10, 11-15" produces three output PDFs each containing five pages. "1, 3, 5" produces three single-page PDFs. "1-3, 5, 8-12, 15-20" produces four output PDFs of varying lengths.

The tool validates the input against the PDF's actual page count. Numbers higher than the page count are ignored. Ranges where start equals end produce a single-page file. Overlapping ranges (e.g. "1-5, 3-8") are allowed; both output PDFs will contain the overlap pages. This is useful when chapters span shared introductory pages.

Mode 2: Every N pages

In this mode the tool splits the PDF into chunks of equal length. Set N to 10 and a 50-page PDF becomes five 10-page files. Set N to 20 and the same PDF becomes three files (two of 20 pages, one of 10). This mode is fast for breaking down large documents into manageable chunks for review, distribution, or further processing. There is no "smart" boundary detection; the tool splits strictly at every Nth page.

Mode 3: One file per page (burst mode)

Burst mode produces one PDF per page in the source. A 50-page PDF becomes 50 single-page PDFs. This is useful when you need to share or store pages individually: extracting each page of a multi-receipt scan, splitting a multi-certificate file, or preparing pages for a slideshow workflow. Burst can produce many outputs quickly, so always use "Download all as ZIP" instead of downloading each file individually.

Mode 4: Split to under a target size

This mode is the most useful for email attachment limits. Gmail caps attachments at 25 MB. Most enterprise mail systems cap at 10 MB. Outlook caps at 20 MB. If your PDF is 60 MB, you cannot email it without compressing it or splitting it. The tool estimates pages per chunk based on the source's average bytes per page, then splits so each output is approximately under your target. The math is approximate, not exact, because pages can vary in size depending on their image content. For files that hover right at the size limit, set the target slightly below your hard limit (e.g. 9 MB for a 10 MB inbox).

Notably, iLovePDF locks "split to under X MB" behind their Premium plan. Smallpdf does not offer it at all. Sejda has it but caps free use at 3 tasks per hour. Gizmoop provides this free with no quota.

What is preserved across the split

Text remains text and stays searchable. Images stay embedded. Fonts stay embedded. Internal links between pages that end up in the same output PDF continue to work. External URL links continue to work because they do not depend on internal pagination. Form fields stay on the pages where they appear. Annotations (highlights, comments) stay attached to their pages. Document metadata (title, author, subject) is copied to each output. Encryption is not preserved; outputs are unencrypted. To password-protect outputs, run them through our Protect PDF tool afterward.

What does not survive cleanly

Bookmarks/table of contents entries that point to pages now in different output files break (the link target is no longer in the same file). Within a single output file, bookmarks pointing to pages in that file should still work, but pdf-lib may simplify the bookmark structure. Digital signatures invalidate when the file is modified, so do not split signed PDFs unless you plan to re-sign them. Complex interactive JavaScript inside the PDF may fail if it referenced content now in another file.

File size considerations

The total bytes of all outputs are roughly the bytes of the input. Each output is smaller than the input proportional to the pages it contains. If your goal is smaller files for storage rather than for email attachment limits, also run the outputs through our Compress PDF tool. Image-heavy PDFs compress well; text-heavy PDFs are already efficient and gain less from compression.

How splitting differs from extracting pages

Split and Extract are similar but distinct operations. Split produces multiple output PDFs that together cover the entire source. Extract produces a single output PDF containing only the pages you selected. Use Split when you want to break a long document into parts, especially when each part needs to be a separate file (chapters, email-sized chunks, per-invoice records). Use Extract when you want to pull out just a few specific pages and discard the rest (a single contract clause, a citation, one invoice).

Splitting password-protected PDFs

Encrypted PDFs cannot be split without the password. The tool will report an error if you drop an encrypted file. To proceed, unlock the file first using our Unlock PDF tool (you must know the password; the tool does not crack passwords). The password is processed in your browser and never sent to a server. After unlocking, run the resulting unencrypted file through Split. If you want the outputs to be password-protected, run them through Protect PDF afterward.

Privacy and confidentiality

Splitting often involves confidential documents: financial statements with account numbers, contracts under negotiation, medical records, exhibits in legal cases. Every competitor solution uploads these files to a server. The server processes the split and (eventually) deletes the file. Strong encryption in transit and a stated deletion policy reduce risk, but they do not eliminate it. Files that never leave your browser cannot leak from a server breach, cannot appear in third-party logs, and cannot be subpoenaed from a vendor. Gizmoop's splitter is built around that simple property.

Browser compatibility

The splitter works in Chrome 88+, Firefox 89+, Safari 15+, and Edge 88+. Internet Explorer is unsupported. Mobile browsers (iOS Safari 15+, Android Chrome) work for small to medium files; large splits (200+ MB) need a desktop because mobile RAM is limited. Network connectivity is not required after the page loads; the splitter works offline.

Where splitting fits in a PDF workflow

Splitting is often paired with other operations. Common pre-split steps: delete blank pages (Delete PDF Pages), rotate scanned pages (Rotate PDF), reorder if needed (Reorder PDF Pages). Common post-split steps: compress for email (Compress PDF), add page numbers to each output (Add Page Numbers PDF), apply a watermark (Watermark PDF), protect with a password (Protect PDF). All of these are also browser-based on Gizmoop, so you can chain operations without ever uploading.