Split PDF

About PDF Splitter

PDF splitting is the inverse of merging: you've received a large document and need to extract specific pages. It happens constantly — a tax consultant sends you a 50-page statement and you need just page 3, or you have a textbook PDF and want to extract chapters as separate files. Sometimes you receive a scanned document bundle and need to separate individual letters or certificates from the combined scan.

This tool lets you split a PDF in three ways: extract specific page numbers (like pages 1, 3, and 7–10), split every page into its own file, or define multiple custom ranges (e.g., "1–5, 6–12, 13–20") in one pass. All processing happens in your browser using the pdf-lib JavaScript library — your document never leaves your device.

How to Use the PDF Splitter

1. Upload your PDF by clicking or dragging it to the upload area.
2. Choose a split mode: "Extract page range", "Split every page", or "Split at ranges".
3. If extracting by range, enter your page numbers (e.g., "1–3, 5, 8–10" with commas between groups).
4. Click "Split PDF" to process — each resulting part appears as a downloadable file.
5. Download individual parts or all of them at once as a zip archive.

When splitting into multiple ranges, separate each range with a comma. The tool handles them all in a single pass — you get one output file per range without having to run the tool multiple times.

Common Use Cases

• Extracting certificates from result documents: Universities and boards often issue mark sheets or degree certificates as part of a larger PDF. Extract just your page or pages for LinkedIn profile uploads or precise email attachments.
• Splitting e-books by chapter: If you have a legally obtained PDF textbook and want to study just one chapter on your phone, extract those pages as a separate, lightweight PDF.
• Separating scanned document batches: When you scan multiple documents in one go on an office scanner, the result is a combined PDF. Split it into individual documents for organized digital filing.
• Reducing file size for portal submission: Some state government portals (e-district, RTO, DigiLocker uploads) have a 500 KB or 1 MB limit per attachment. Extract only the pages you actually need, then compress that smaller file to meet the size limit.

Tips for Best Results

• Before splitting, open your PDF in your browser's built-in viewer to identify the exact page numbers — printed page numbers on a document don't always match the PDF's internal page count.
• Use "Split every page" when you need maximum flexibility — you can then merge the specific pages you want in any combination using the Merge PDF tool.
• If the page range input rejects your text, use commas between groups and hyphens for ranges: "1-3, 5, 7-9" not "1-3; 5; 7-9".
• Very large PDFs (200+ pages) generate many thumbnails and may take a moment to load initially — wait for the upload to fully process before clicking Split.

Why Use PDF Splitter on OurTools.in

PDF splitting typically requires uploading your document to a server — which means your file potentially contains financial records, medical reports, or government IDs that leave your device. This tool uses pdf-lib in your browser: no upload, no server, no logs at any step. The split files are generated from the PDF data already loaded in your browser's memory.

Beyond privacy, this tool is genuinely free — no daily limits, no watermark added to output, no login required. You can split the same PDF ten times if you need different page combinations. The interface is clean and fast enough to use on mobile data. OurTools.in is an independent project built in India, and keeping tools like this free and private is central to how it works.

Limitations to Know About

The tool cannot split PDFs protected with a user-level password — use the PDF Unlock tool first. Splitting a very large PDF into many individual pages (a 300-page document split into 300 single-page files) may be slow on older devices. The zip download for "split every page" is generated entirely in-browser using JSZip — on very low-memory devices, large zip archives may fail. The tool works with standard PDF format; corrupted or non-standard PDF files may fail to parse correctly.