How to split a PDF into several files
Open Split, add the PDF, choose how to split it and press Split it up. Each part is a new PDF; the original stays as it was.
SplitFree. Nothing is uploaded.
How to do it
- Open Split and add the PDF.
- Choose Every few pages, One page per file, By page ranges or At each chapter.
- Type the number or the ranges if the choice needs one.
- Press Split it up.
- Tap Save all to save the parts as a folder or one ZIP.
Which way to split
Every few pages suits a pile of forms scanned together, each of the same length: a 10-page file split every 3 gives files of 3, 3, 3 and 1 pages. By page ranges gives one file per range you type, such as 1-2, 3-7, 8-. At each chapter makes one file per top-level bookmark, named after it.
Split or extract?
Split makes several files. If you only want one file with a few pages from the original, Extract pages is quicker. If the reason to split is an email or upload limit in MB, Split by size works out the parts for you.
No bookmarks?
At each chapter needs the PDF to have bookmarks. If it has none, add them with Bookmarks, or split by page ranges instead.
A worked example
Your office scanned twenty one-page invoices into a single 20-page PDF, and accounts wants each as its own file. Open Split, add the PDF, choose One page per file and press Split it up. You get twenty PDFs named part 1 of 20 to part 20 of 20, in page order. Tap Save all to put them in one folder, or one ZIP, then rename each one after its invoice number.
Every part is a new PDF and the original stays whole, so if a split goes wrong, start over with a different choice.
Splitting by ranges
Ranges are for documents whose parts are not all the same length. A 15-page application with a 2-page form, a 6-page report and the annexures after it splits with 1-2, 3-8, 9-. Each range becomes one file, named with its pages, in the order typed. Two ranges may share a page, such as a cover both files need, and a range typed backwards, like 8-3, is read the right way round.
Splitting at each chapter needs bookmarks. Each top-level bookmark starts a new file, named with its number and its title, and any pages before the first bookmark become a file of their own, so nothing is lost. If the chapters come out wrong, fix the bookmarks with Bookmarks and split again.
Common mistakes
Splitting every 2 pages when the forms in the file are not all the same length leaves one form across two files: check each form’s page count first, or use ranges. Splitting a locked PDF gives locked parts, each still asking for the password, which surprises the people who receive them; unlock the file first with Remove a password if that is not wanted.
Questions people ask
Is there a page limit?
No. The file is split in your browser, one part at a time, so long files work too.
Are my files uploaded?
No. Nothing leaves your device.
What does 12- mean in a range?
Page 12 to the last page. You can mix ranges and single pages, separated by commas: 1-3, 7, 12-.
Does splitting change the original?
No. Each part is a new file; the PDF you picked stays whole.
Can I split a PDF on my phone?
Yes. It runs in the phone’s browser. Share all sends the parts to another app, or Save all keeps them.
How do I join the parts back together?
Add them to Merge in order and press Merge into one file.
Your file stays on your device. Foolscap does the work inside your browser, so nothing is uploaded and there is nothing for anyone to keep. How you can check