How to split PDF pages with custom ranges
Every range you type becomes its own PDF, so you decide what goes into each new file.
- One range: 1 to 3 gives a single PDF with those three pages.
- A single page: 5 on its own gives a PDF that holds only page 5.
- Several ranges: 1 to 3, 5, 8 to 10 gives three separate PDFs.
Separate ranges with commas. Inside a range you can write the word to, or put a dash between the two numbers as the example in the box shows. Page numbers count from the first page of the file, which is not always the number printed in the corner.
Everyday reasons to split a PDF
Splitting is often the fastest way to share less. You keep the full document and send only the part that matters.
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| A landlord wants one payslip, not the whole year | Extract that single page |
| The office scanner joined 20 forms into one file | Use Every page mode |
| An upload form rejects a big file | Split it into parts that fit |
| You need one chapter of a manual | Type that chapter as a range |
There is no split by size option. To meet an upload limit, try a few ranges and check the size of each part.
Splitting, deleting or merging?
Splitting never changes your original file. You can run it again with different ranges as often as you like, which helps when you are not sure yet which pages a form wants.
To keep one file and drop a few pages, Delete PDF Pages is quicker, because you click thumbnails instead of typing numbers. To put parts back together in a new order, use Merge PDF. Still too large after splitting? Compress PDF shrinks the images inside.