How to split a PDF or extract pages
Sometimes you only need one chapter of a manual, a single signed page of a contract, or each invoice from a scan that bundled them together. You can do it with tools you already have, but the method matters: some keep links and selectable text intact, others quietly drop them.
Method 1: A dedicated split tool
Our Split PDF tool runs in your browser and offers three modes:
- Extract pages: one new PDF with exactly the pages you list, in the order you type them — for example
1-3, 5, 8-10. - Split into multiple PDFs: each group you type becomes its own file, delivered together in a .zip.
- Split every page: one PDF per page.
Pages are copied from the original as they are — not converted to images — so text remains selectable and there's no loss of quality. The file never leaves your device.
Method 2: "Print" a page range to PDF
Any modern browser can do a quick extraction:
- Open the PDF in Chrome, Edge or Firefox.
- Press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on a Mac).
- Choose Save as PDF (or "Microsoft Print to PDF" on Windows) as the printer.
- Under Pages, choose a custom range such as
4-7and save.
It's convenient, but printing re-creates the pages: links, bookmarks and form fields are usually lost, and the file size can change. Fine for a quick copy of a few pages; not ideal for documents you'll keep.
Method 3: Preview on a Mac
- Open the PDF in Preview and show thumbnails (View → Thumbnails).
- Select the pages you want (Cmd-click to pick several).
- Drag them out of the sidebar onto the desktop or into a Finder folder. Preview creates a new PDF with those pages.
To remove pages instead, select them and press Delete, then use File → Export as PDF to save a copy.
Which method to use
| Method | Quality and selectable text | Several files at once | Works on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Split PDF tool (in-browser) | Kept (pages copied as-is) | Yes (.zip) | Any device |
| Print to PDF | Usually kept; links and form fields often lost | No | Any computer |
| Mac Preview | Kept | Manually | Mac |
Common situations
A scan that contains several documents
Scanners often put a whole stack of paper into one PDF. Use Split into multiple PDFs with groups like 1-2, 3, 4-6 to get one file per document in a single step.
Sending only the relevant pages
Extract just the pages someone needs instead of sending a 200-page file. It's smaller, easier to read and avoids sharing information you didn't mean to.
Converting part of a document
If you need to edit only a few pages, extract them first and convert just those to Word — there's far less formatting to clean up.
Reordering pages
Extract pages in the order you want — for example 1, 5, 2-4 — to get a reordered copy. To combine pages from different files, split first and then merge.
Things to watch for
- Page numbers refer to the position in the file, not the number printed on the page. A document whose page "1" is actually the third page of the file needs the file position.
- Password-protected PDFs have to be opened with the password and saved without protection first.
- Hidden content: extracting a page doesn't remove comments or metadata attached to it. If you're sharing something sensitive, see our privacy checklist.
Split your PDF now. Extract pages, split into several files or separate every page, privately in your browser.
Open Split PDF