Split PDF — Free, No Upload
Extract pages or split a PDF into separate files — free, private, and entirely in your browser.
How to split a PDF in your browser
Want to split PDF files into separate documents, or pull out just a few pages? You can do it here in seconds, in your browser, without uploading anything to a server. Open your PDF, see a preview of every page, choose what you want, and download the result. Because the whole process runs locally, your document never leaves your device — which matters when you’re dividing up contracts, statements, or anything personal.
The tool gives you two ways to split, depending on what you need:
Option 1: Extract specific pages
- Open your PDF. Drag it onto the upload area or click to choose it. A thumbnail of every page appears.
- Tick the pages you want. Click any page to select it. Use “Select all” or “Clear” to start from either end.
- Click “Extract.” You get a single new PDF containing exactly the pages you picked, in order.
This is perfect when you only need a handful of pages — say, pulling page 1 and page 5 out of a long report.
Option 2: Split into ranges
- Open your PDF the same way.
- Type your ranges. In the range box, enter something like
1-3, 5, 7-9. That means: pages 1 to 3, page 5, and pages 7 to 9. - Click “Split.” Each range becomes its own PDF. If you created more than
one file, they download together as a single
.zip.
Range mode is the fast way to break one document into several at once — for example, splitting a scanned stack into one file per invoice.
Why use a browser-based PDF tool?
Most popular online PDF tools — SmallPDF, iLovePDF, Adobe’s web tools — upload your file to their servers, do the work there, and send the result back. That means a copy of your document, which might contain sensitive details, leaves your device and lands on someone else’s computer, even if only briefly.
This tool is different. The page previews are drawn by PDF.js, Mozilla’s open-source PDF renderer, and the actual splitting is done by pdf-lib — both running in your browser. Your file is read into memory, split locally, and handed back as a download. Nothing is transmitted over the network, and you can verify that in your browser’s Network tab.
The result is more privacy, no upload or download waiting, and a tool that keeps working offline after your first visit.
Common reasons to split a PDF
- Separating a scanned batch. Split a stack of scanned receipts or invoices into one file each.
- Sharing only what’s needed. Send a colleague just the three pages that concern them, not the entire 60-page document.
- Breaking up a large file. Divide an unwieldy PDF into smaller, more manageable chapters or sections.
- Pulling out a form. Extract a single form page from a longer packet to fill in and return.
Tips and things to know
- Pages count from 1. The first page is page 1, so a range of
1-3gives you the first three pages. - Order is preserved. Extracted pages appear in ascending page order in the output.
- Quality is untouched. Splitting copies pages as-is — text stays selectable and images aren’t recompressed.
- Multiple ranges become a zip. One range or selection downloads as a single
PDF; several ranges download together as a
.zip. - Encrypted PDFs need unlocking first. If your file is password-protected, remove the password with the Unlock PDF tool, then come back and split.
- Want the reverse? To combine files instead of dividing them, use the Merge PDF tool.
Split PDF vs. upload-based tools
| This tool | Typical upload tools | |
|---|---|---|
| Where files are processed | Your browser | Their servers |
| Files uploaded | Never | Yes |
| Signup required | No | Often |
| Works offline | Yes (after first visit) | No |
| Page previews | Yes, rendered locally | Varies |
After splitting, you might want to merge some of the pieces back together in a different order, or compress the result to make it smaller for email. For background on the format, see the PDF specification.
FAQs
- Is splitting PDFs here really private?
- Yes. Your PDF is never uploaded. Both the page previews and the split itself happen entirely in your browser, so the file stays on your device. You can check for yourself — open your browser's developer tools, switch to the Network tab, and split a file. You won't see any upload.
- What's the difference between “Extract pages” and “Split into ranges”?
- The “Extract pages” mode lets you tick the exact pages you want and gives you a single PDF containing just those pages. The “Split into ranges” mode lets you type ranges like 1-3, 5, 7-9, and creates one PDF per range — handy for breaking a document into several files at once.
- How do I write a range?
- Use page numbers separated by commas, with a hyphen for a span. For example, 1-3, 5, 7-9 creates three files — pages 1 to 3, page 5, and pages 7 to 9. Pages count from 1.
- What do I get when I split into multiple ranges?
- If you create more than one file, they're bundled into a single .zip download so you get everything at once. A single range or selection downloads as one PDF.
- Is there a file-size or page limit?
- There's no hard limit. Because everything runs locally, very large or very long PDFs are bound by your device's memory rather than a server quota. Page previews render one by one so the tool stays responsive.
- Will splitting reduce quality?
- No. Pages are copied exactly as they are into the new files, preserving text, fonts, and images. Nothing is re-rendered or re-compressed.
- What if my PDF is password-protected?
- An encrypted PDF can't be read until its password is removed. The tool will tell you and link you to the Unlock PDF tool, which removes a password you already know.
- Does this work offline?
- Yes. After your first visit the tool is cached and works with no internet connection.