Split PDF Online — Extract Pages & Divide Documents Without Installing Anything

Extract individual pages, define custom page ranges, or separate an entire PDF into single-page files — all from any browser, on any device. No download, no subscription, no watermarks, ever.

✂️ Split My PDF Now — It's Free
  • ✅ No page or file size limits
  • ✅ Custom page range control
  • ✅ 100% lossless quality
  • ✅ Files deleted in 60 min
  • ✅ Works on all devices

Two Ways to Split a PDF Online — Which One Do You Need?

Most PDF splitters give you one option. SCENITH gives you two distinct methods so you can match the tool to your exact situation rather than working around its limitations.

Method 1

Split All Pages — Every Page Becomes Its Own File

Upload your PDF and every single page is extracted automatically into its own individual PDF file. All files are packaged into a single ZIP download so you get everything in one click.

Best for:

  • Distributing pages to different team members or departments
  • Converting scanned document batches into individual page files
  • Creating per-page study materials or flashcards
  • Extracting signature pages or specific form pages
  • Archiving each page separately for document management systems
Output: ZIP file containing page-1.pdf, page-2.pdf, page-3.pdf…
Method 2

Custom Page Ranges — You Decide Exactly What Goes Where

Define precise page ranges to create targeted output documents. Add as many ranges as you need in a single operation — each range becomes its own PDF file downloaded directly, no ZIP required.

Best for:

  • Extracting a specific chapter from a book or manual
  • Separating confidential sections from a document before sharing
  • Dividing a report by department, quarter, or topic
  • Splitting a large file into smaller parts for email attachment limits
  • Creating multiple targeted handouts from one source document
Output: Separate PDF files — one per defined range

How to Split PDF Files Online in 3 Steps

The entire process — from upload to download — takes under a minute regardless of which split method you choose.

1

Upload Your PDF File

Click the upload area or drag your PDF directly into the browser window. The tool reads your document immediately and displays the total page count — verify this matches your file before proceeding. You can upload from your hard drive, USB drive, or any cloud storage folder you have open on your desktop.

💡 Note: Password-protected PDFs need to be unlocked first. Use our free PDF Unlock tool, then return here to split the unlocked version.
2

Choose Your Split Method and Define Ranges

Select Split All Pages for automatic single-page extraction with no further input needed. Or select Custom Page Ranges to define exactly which pages go into each output file. For custom ranges, use the interactive interface to enter a start page and end page for each split, then click Add Another Split to define as many output files as you need in one operation.

💡 Example: A 90-page annual report → Range 1: pages 1–20 (Executive Summary), Range 2: pages 21–55 (Financial Data), Range 3: pages 56–90 (Appendices). Three output PDFs, one click.
3

Split and Download Your Files

Click Split PDF and processing completes in seconds. Split All Pages delivers a single ZIP file containing individually named PDFs. Custom Ranges delivers each range as a separate PDF file. Every output file preserves the original text searchability, full image resolution, embedded fonts, active links, and all form fields from the source pages.

💡 Verify your output: Open one of the split files and press Ctrl+F to confirm text is still searchable — this confirms the split was truly lossless, not a re-scanned image conversion.
⚡ Start Splitting PDFs — Free & Instant

When Do You Actually Need to Split a PDF?

Splitting a PDF is one of those tasks that sounds simple but comes up in surprisingly varied situations. Here are the most common real-world scenarios.

📎 Email Attachment Size Limits

Gmail, Outlook, and most corporate email servers enforce a 10–25 MB attachment limit. A 60-page annual report with charts can easily exceed this. Split it into two or three smaller PDFs and send them across multiple emails without losing any content or formatting.

🔒 Confidentiality & Selective Sharing

A contract may contain public terms alongside confidential pricing schedules or internal notes. Extract only the pages the recipient needs to see, share that targeted PDF, and keep the sensitive pages in a separate locked file.

📚 Chapter & Section Extraction

Students and researchers frequently need specific chapters from a textbook, specific sections from a regulation document, or specific exhibits from a legal filing. Extract exactly the pages you need rather than sharing or printing the entire document.

👥 Team Collaboration & Parallel Review

When multiple people need to review different sections of a long document simultaneously, splitting by section eliminates version conflicts. Each reviewer gets their section as a standalone PDF, annotates it, and returns it — faster than fighting over one shared file.

🗃️ Document Management & Archiving

Many document management systems (DMS) work better with smaller, topic-specific files than with large multi-section PDFs. Split scanned batches into individual forms, invoices, or records before uploading to make retrieval and indexing far more efficient.

⚖️ Legal Filings & Court Exhibits

Court filing portals frequently impose per-document page limits and require exhibits to be filed as separate attachments. Split your master document into properly formatted individual exhibits before uploading to avoid rejected filings and last-minute scrambles.

🎓 Creating Study Materials

Teachers who compile resources from multiple PDFs often need to redistribute them as individual handouts. Split a comprehensive course packet into per-topic PDFs so students receive only what is relevant to each lesson or assignment.

🔄 Preparing Files for Re-Merging

Sometimes you need to split a document first, reorder specific pages, add content to individual sections, and then merge everything back together. Our PDF Merge tool pairs directly with the splitter for this kind of surgical document restructuring workflow.

What Is Preserved in Every Split PDF File?

The most important thing to understand about PDF splitting is that it is a structural operation, not a conversion. Pages are extracted, not re-rendered. Here is what that means for your documents.

✅

Searchable Text Layers

Every word on every extracted page remains fully searchable. Ctrl+F works identically in the split file as it did in the original.

✅

Full Image Resolution

Photos, charts, diagrams, and scanned content are not re-compressed at any point in the splitting process. Output files are byte-identical copies of the relevant pages.

✅

Embedded Fonts

Custom fonts and brand typefaces embedded in the original PDF are preserved in every split output. The document renders identically on any device regardless of locally installed fonts.

✅

Clickable Hyperlinks

Internal page links and external URLs on extracted pages remain active and functional. Note that links pointing to pages not included in a split range will no longer resolve — this is expected behavior.

✅

Form Fields & Annotations

Fillable form fields, checkboxes, text annotations, and digital signature fields on extracted pages are fully preserved in the output files.

✅

Page Size & Orientation

A4, Letter, Legal, landscape, portrait — each extracted page retains its original dimensions exactly. Mixed-orientation documents split correctly without normalization.

Is It Safe to Split Sensitive PDFs Online?

Splitting often involves documents you would rather not expose — contracts, medical records, financial statements. Here is a plain-language account of every security measure protecting your files.

🔒

256-bit SSL/TLS Encryption

Every file transferred between your browser and our processing servers is protected by the same encryption standard used by major banks. No one on the same network can intercept your documents in transit.

📦

Isolated Processing Containers

Your files are processed inside ephemeral containers created exclusively for your session. These containers are destroyed immediately after processing. No other user's job can ever access your files.

🗑️

Auto-Delete Within 60 Minutes

Both your uploaded file and all split output files are permanently and irrecoverably deleted from our servers within 60 minutes. No manual action required on your part.

🚫

Zero Data Retention

SCENITH does not store, log, analyze, sell, or share your document content for any purpose whatsoever. Your files exist on our infrastructure only for the duration of processing.

For attorney-client privileged or HIPAA-regulated documents: Verify your organization's cloud data handling policies before using any browser-based tool, including this one. For most business and personal use cases the security measures above are more robust than typical office software defaults.

Online PDF Splitter vs Desktop Software: Side-by-Side

Is the browser tool actually better than paid desktop software for splitting PDFs? Here is an honest, head-to-head comparison.

FactorOnline Splitter (SCENITH)Desktop Software (Adobe Acrobat)
Cost✅ Completely free❌ $239.88/year
Setup time✅ Zero — open a browser tab❌ 15–30 min installation
Device support✅ All devices via browser⚠️ Windows & Mac only
Works offline❌ Internet required✅ Fully offline
Split all pages at once✅ One-click ZIP download✅ Supported
Custom page ranges✅ Multiple ranges, one operation✅ Supported
Output quality✅ 100% lossless✅ Lossless
Watermarks on output✅ Never✅ Never
Software updates✅ Automatic, silent❌ Manual, every few weeks
Advanced PDF editing⚠️ Separate tools per task✅ Full all-in-one suite

Verdict: For splitting PDFs — one of the three most common PDF tasks — a browser-based tool matches or beats desktop software on every practical dimension except offline use. Save the paid subscription for tasks that genuinely require advanced editing capabilities.

Frequently Asked Questions — Splitting PDFs Online

Can I split a PDF on my phone without downloading an app?

Yes. Open Chrome on Android or Safari on iPhone, navigate to SCENITH's PDF splitter, and use the file picker to select a PDF from your phone storage or a cloud drive. The entire split process completes in the browser — no app download required.

What happens to the pages I do not include in a range?

They are simply not included in that particular output file. Your original uploaded PDF is never modified. If you need pages that were excluded, go back and define a new range that includes them, or run a second split operation covering those pages.

Can I split a scanned PDF where pages are images?

Yes. Scanned PDFs split identically to text-based PDFs because splitting operates on the page structure, not on the content type. Each extracted page — whether it contains searchable text or a scanned image — becomes its own standalone PDF.

Can I split the same PDF into more than two output files?

Absolutely. Custom Ranges lets you add as many range definitions as you need in a single operation. Define ranges for five, ten, or twenty output files at once — all of them are processed and made available for download in one go.

What if my page ranges overlap or leave gaps?

The tool validates your ranges in real time. Overlapping ranges (where the same page would appear in two output files) and gaps (where pages are not assigned to any range) are flagged before you submit. You can correct them without losing your other range definitions.

Does splitting a PDF break its bookmarks?

Bookmarks in the output files will only resolve correctly if the page they point to is included in that specific split range. Bookmarks pointing to pages outside the range will still appear in the file but will not navigate anywhere. For most use cases this is acceptable; for complex navigation-heavy documents, test a small split first.

How do I recombine split PDFs back into one file?

Use our free PDF Merge tool. Because splitting is lossless, merging all split files back in the original order produces a document byte-equivalent to the source — perfect text search, full image quality, and all formatting intact.

Will the split files open correctly in all PDF viewers?

Yes. All output files conform to the standard PDF specification and open without warnings or compatibility errors in Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Reader, macOS Preview, Foxit, Chrome's built-in viewer, and every other major PDF viewer.

Ready to Split Your PDF Right Now?

No account. No software. No waiting. Upload your PDF, define your ranges, and download your split files in under a minute.

✂️ Split My PDF — 100% Free
  • No watermarks
  • Works on all devices
  • Files deleted automatically

Merge PDF

Recombine split files or join multiple PDFs into one organized document.

Compress PDF

Reduce split file sizes further for email attachments or cloud uploads.

Rotate PDF

Fix page orientations in split output files before sharing or printing.

Unlock PDF

Remove password protection before splitting a locked PDF document.