Splitting is the most underestimated PDF skill: pull one chapter from a manual, separate invoices by month, or carve a 200 MB archive into emailable parts.
This guide covers all five split modes — ranges, every-page, chunks, odd/even, and by-size — and when each one wins.
Try it now: ✂ Split PDF · ⧉ Merge PDFs · 🗂 Organize Pages
Pick the right mode for the job
Ranges for surgical extraction ('just the appendix'), every-page for mixed scans that need sorting, chunks for even division, odd/even for booklet printing, by-size when the email server — not you — sets the rules.
Split first, compress second
Splitting copies pages without re-rendering, so text stays selectable and quality is pixel-identical. Splitting is also the secret pre-step to better compression: fewer pages compress smaller and stay readable.
Steps
- Upload the PDF to the split tool
- Pick the mode that matches your goal
- Enter ranges, chunk size, or MB target
- Click Run and download the parts
Pro tips
- Splitting before compressing beats compressing a huge file every time.
- Name parts clearly — 'contract-odd-pages.pdf' beats 'split-1.pdf'.
Frequently asked questions
How do I extract pages 5-10 from a PDF?
Use Extract-range mode with '5-10'. Only those pages land in the new file.
How do I split a PDF into 5-page chunks?
Use chunks mode with size 5. A 23-page file becomes five files (5+5+5+5+3) in one ZIP.
Can I split a file so each part fits email limits?
Yes — by-size mode packs pages so no file exceeds your MB target.