How to split a PDF into separate pages for free

To split a PDF into separate pages, open Split PDF, upload one PDF, enter individual page numbers such as 2, 4, 6, and choose Separate files. The download is a ZIP with one PDF for each comma-separated number or range. If you choose One PDF instead, the selected pages return together in one new document.

The distinction between a page and a range matters. Entering 2, 4, 6 creates three groups, so Separate files returns three PDFs. Entering 2-6 creates one group containing five pages, so it returns one five-page PDF inside the ZIP.

Split the PDF

Page numbers and ranges without the guesswork

The range field is useful when a document has many pages, but it is also where small typing mistakes change the result. These examples show exactly what the tool reads:

If your goal is one file for every page, list the pages individually with commas. A continuous range deliberately stays together. That makes it possible to create useful groups, such as one PDF for a cover and introduction, another for the main report, and a third for the appendices, in a single split.

The preview grid and the typed field stay in sync. Tapping pages is easiest for a short document because you can see what you are selecting. Typing ranges is faster for a long report where you already know the page numbers. Documents with more than 80 pages still work: later pages use numbered placeholders instead of rendered thumbnails, and they remain selectable by number.

Choose the output that matches the job

One PDF is really an extraction mode. It takes the pages you specify and puts them into a single smaller document. Use it when you need to send only one chapter, remove irrelevant pages from a copy, or pull an appendix out for someone who does not need the full report.

Separate files creates one PDF for each comma-separated range and packages the results in a ZIP. Use it when pages or sections need to be uploaded individually, given to different people, or filed under separate names.

Splitting does not edit the contents of a page. If a selected page is sideways, use Rotate PDF on the result. If the job is the opposite and you need several documents joined together, follow the PDF merging guide. Splitting first and merging selected sections later can also be a practical way to rebuild a document without changing its original.

Check the result before sending it

Open the downloaded PDF or ZIP instead of trusting the filename alone. Confirm the first and last page of every range, especially when the document has a cover page that shifts the printed page numbers by one. A report may label its first content page as page 1 even though the PDF viewer calls it page 3. TryDeputize follows the page numbers shown in the preview, not numbers printed inside the document.

Keep the original PDF until the result has been checked. The split creates a new file and does not alter the copy on your device. Uploaded files and results are removed from the server automatically about an hour after the job starts, so download the result while it is available.

Privacy and protected files

The PDF is uploaded over HTTPS because the split runs on the server. That is reasonable for ordinary paperwork, but it may not satisfy a workplace, healthcare, or legal policy that forbids third-party uploads. Use an approved offline application when the rule is that a document must never leave your device.

A password-protected PDF cannot be split until it can be opened. If you know the password and are allowed to remove it, make an unlocked working copy with Unlock PDF, split that copy, and store or delete it carefully afterwards. The tool cannot recover a password you do not know.

When this won’t work

• The PDF is over 50 MB. There is no separate page limit, but the upload cap is 50 MB for the one input file. A trusted desktop PDF application is the better option for a larger document.
• The file needs a password to open. Unlock it first using the password you already know. Encryption cannot be bypassed by the split.
• The PDF is damaged. A file that cannot be read reliably cannot be split reliably. Re-export it from the original application if possible.
• You need to change text, redact information, or rearrange content within a page. Splitting only chooses whole pages. It does not rewrite what is on them.
• The document must remain entirely offline. The file is removed about an hour later, but it is still uploaded for processing. Use local software when uploading is not permitted.