To split a PDF, open Split PDF, add your file, choose Range, and type the pages you want — 1, 3-5, 9-12. The one thing worth knowing before you start: the range box accepts only digits, commas, and hyphens, and if what you type doesn't survive that filter, the tool quietly splits every page instead.
This covers:
- The four steps, start to finish
- All Pages vs Range, and when each is right
- How to write a range the tool will actually accept
- Splitting different ranges out of different files in one go
- What to do when the result isn't what you expected
Split a PDF in four steps
- Open Split PDF. No install, and no account needed to start.
- Add your file. Drag it in, or pick it from your device, Google Drive, or Dropbox. You'll see an upload percentage and a brief security check.
- Choose a mode. All Pages breaks the document into individual pages. Range keeps only the pages you name.
- Press SPLIT and download the result.
If you're not sure which pages you need, the eye icon on the file row opens a preview so you can check page numbers without leaving the page.
Know which pages you need?
Try Split PDFAll Pages vs Range
The mode dropdown has exactly two options, and picking the wrong one is the most common reason a split "doesn't work."
| Mode | What it does | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| All Pages | Breaks the document into single pages | You want every page as its own file, or you're not sure yet and want to pick through the pieces |
| Range | Keeps only the pages you specify | You want a handful of pages out of a long document — a signature page, one chapter, an appendix |
Range is what most people actually want. Extracting pages 12–14 from a 200-page contract is a range job; running All Pages on it gives you 200 files to sift through.
How to write a range the tool will accept
The range box shows its own format as a placeholder: Example: 1, 3-5, 9-12. That's the whole syntax — pages and page ranges, separated by commas, hyphens between the start and end of a range.
What trips people up is the filter. The box strips out everything that isn't a digit, a comma, or a hyphen. That happens silently, before anything is parsed, so plausible-looking input can turn into something quite different:
| What you type | What the tool sees | Result |
|---|---|---|
1, 3-5, 9-12 |
1,3-5,9-12 |
What you wanted |
3 to 5 |
35 |
Page 35 — not pages 3 to 5 |
3–5 (en dash) |
35 |
Page 35 again — the dash isn't a hyphen |
pages 3-5 |
3-5 |
Fine, by luck — the words are simply dropped |
The en-dash case is the sneaky one. Copy a page range out of a Word document or an email and you'll often be pasting an en dash (–) rather than a hyphen (-), and the two look nearly identical at normal text size.
An empty range splits everything
If what's left after the filter is empty, the tool falls back to All Pages rather than showing an error. So a document that comes back as dozens of single pages usually means the range didn't survive — not that the split failed. Retype it using digits, commas, and hyphens only.
Check the page numbers first
Use the preview before you type a range. The numbers printed on the page often don't match the PDF's own page numbering — front matter, cover pages, and inserts push everything out of step, and the range box counts PDF pages, not printed ones.
Split different ranges out of different files
You don't have to do one document at a time. Add several files, then select one and set its range — the hint under the box says it directly: You can apply different ranges to different files by selecting the file you want to split.
That's the efficient way through a batch job like pulling the signature page out of twelve contracts, where the page number is different in each one.
What to do with the pieces
Splitting is usually the middle step, not the last one.
| Next thing you want | Tool |
|---|---|
| Recombine the pieces in a new order | Merge PDF |
| Shrink what you extracted | Compress PDF |
| Edit the extracted pages | Edit PDF |
| Turn the extract into an editable document | PDF to Word |
| Ask questions about a long original | Chat with PDF |
The split-then-merge pairing is worth knowing: to reorder a document, split it, then merge the pieces in the sequence you want — merging follows the on-screen order, so dragging the parts into place is the whole job.
See all PDF tools.
When the split isn't what you expected
| What you're seeing | What happened | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Every page came back separately | The range was empty after filtering, so it fell back to All Pages | Retype using digits, commas and hyphens only |
| Wrong pages came out | The range counts PDF pages, not the numbers printed on them | Preview the file and count from the first PDF page |
| One page instead of a range | A space or en dash collapsed 3 - 5 into 35 |
Use a plain hyphen with no spaces: 3-5 |
| The text isn't selectable in the pieces | The original was a scan — an image of text | Splitting preserves what was there; it can't turn a picture into text |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I extract just a few pages from a PDF?
Open Split PDF, add the file, choose Range, and type the pages you want — for example 1, 3-5, 9-12. Only those pages come back.
What page range format does the tool accept?
Comma-separated pages and ranges, with hyphens between the start and end of each range: 1, 3-5, 9-12. Anything that isn't a digit, comma, or hyphen is stripped out before the range is read.
Why did my PDF split into every single page?
Because the range came out empty after filtering and the tool fell back to All Pages. That usually means spaces, words, or an en dash rather than a hyphen. Retype the range using only digits, commas, and hyphens.
Can I split several PDFs at once?
Yes, and you can give each one its own range — select a file, set its range, then select the next. Useful when the page you need sits in a different place in every document.
Does splitting reduce the file size?
Each piece is smaller than the whole, but the pages themselves are unchanged — a heavy scanned page stays heavy. If size is the goal, run the pieces through Compress PDF.
Do I need to install anything to split a PDF?
No. It runs in your browser on Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile. There's also a desktop app if you need to work offline.
