PDF Splitter

Two different operations

Splitting can mean two things and the distinction matters. Dividing one document into several at chosen boundaries is what you want when a scanned batch contains three separate contracts that should become three files. Bursting, which produces one file per page, is what you want when each page is an independent record such as a certificate or an invoice. Choose the mode before you start, because redoing it means reassembling first.

Page ranges

Ranges are inclusive on both ends, so 1-5 yields five pages. Ranges are specified against the document's physical page order, not against any printed page numbers on the pages themselves. That difference bites on documents with front matter numbered i, ii, iii, where printed page 1 might be the seventh physical page. Check the position of the page you actually want before entering a range.

What each output file keeps

Each split file carries the page content, its embedded fonts and its images. Document-level properties such as metadata, bookmarks and attachments belong to the original and are not meaningfully divisible; most are dropped or reset. Any digital signature on the source is invalidated in every output, because each result is a different document from the one that was signed.

Splitting does not shrink pages

A common surprise is that splitting a 50 MB document into ten files does not give ten 5 MB files. Embedded fonts and colour profiles are duplicated into each output that needs them, so the combined size of the parts frequently exceeds the original. This is normal and is the cost of each file being independently valid.

Local processing

The document is parsed in your browser and no bytes are sent anywhere, so splitting a confidential document does not create a copy on a third-party server.