Have a large PDF document but only need certain pages? Splitting PDFs allows you to extract specific pages, divide documents into sections, or separate a large file into smaller, more manageable pieces. This guide shows you how to split PDF files quickly and easily.

Why Split PDF Files?

There are many practical reasons to split PDF documents:

• Extract specific pages: Pull out just the pages you need from a large document
• Share selectively: Send only relevant pages to recipients
• Reduce file size: Break large files into smaller, email-friendly chunks
• Organize content: Separate different sections of reports or manuals
• Remove unwanted pages: Extract useful pages while discarding unnecessary ones
• Create presentations: Pull slides from larger documents

Different Ways to Split PDFs

Extract Specific Pages

Pull out individual pages or page ranges (e.g., pages 1-5, 10, 15-20) into a new PDF while keeping the original intact.

Split into Individual Pages

Break a multi-page PDF into separate files, one for each page. Useful for processing or distributing pages individually.

Split by Page Count

Divide a document into smaller PDFs with a specific number of pages each (e.g., split a 100-page PDF into 10 files of 10 pages).

Split by File Size

Create smaller PDFs that meet specific size requirements, such as email attachment limits.

How to Split a PDF Online

The easiest way to split PDFs is using a free online tool. Here's the process:

Step 1: Upload Your PDF

Visit a PDF splitting tool like FileFusion Split PDF. Drag and drop your PDF file or click to select it from your computer.

Step 2: Choose Pages to Extract

Specify which pages you want to extract. You can:

• Select individual pages (e.g., 1, 5, 10)
• Choose page ranges (e.g., 1-5, 10-15)
• Combine both methods (e.g., 1-3, 7, 15-20)

Step 3: Split and Download

Click the split button. The tool will extract your selected pages into a new PDF. Download the result immediately.

Common Splitting Scenarios

Extracting a Single Chapter

Situation: You have a 200-page manual but only need Chapter 5 (pages 45-67).
Solution: Upload the PDF and extract pages 45-67 to create a new PDF with just that chapter.

Removing Cover Pages

Situation: You want the content without title pages or cover sheets.
Solution: Extract all pages except the first few (e.g., pages 4-100 from a 100-page document).

Creating Handouts

Situation: You need to distribute different sections to different people.
Solution: Split the document into multiple PDFs, each containing relevant pages for specific recipients.

Meeting Email Size Limits

Situation: Your PDF is 30MB but email only allows 25MB attachments.
Solution: Split into two smaller PDFs or extract only the essential pages.

Tips for Effective PDF Splitting

Planning Your Split

• Review first: Open the PDF and note which pages you actually need
• Name logically: Use descriptive names for extracted files (e.g., "Report-Executive-Summary" instead of "pages1-5")
• Keep originals: Always preserve the original PDF before splitting
• Check page numbers: Ensure you're extracting the correct pages

After Splitting

• Verify content: Open the extracted PDF to confirm it contains the right pages
• Check completeness: Ensure no pages were accidentally skipped
• Compress if needed: Large extracted sections may benefit from compression
• Organize files: Store split PDFs in a logical folder structure

Advanced Splitting Techniques

Extracting Every Other Page

For double-sided scans where odd pages are one side and even pages are the other:

• Extract odd pages: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9...
• Extract even pages: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10...
• Create two separate PDFs for each side

Extracting Multiple Sections

To create several smaller PDFs from one large document:

• Note page ranges for each section
• Split multiple times, extracting different ranges
• Name each extracted file according to its content

When to Split vs. Delete Pages

Split when you want to:

• Keep the original PDF intact
• Create new documents from existing content
• Share different portions with different people

Delete pages when you want to:

• Permanently remove unwanted pages
• Create a single cleaned-up version
• Replace the original with a shorter version

Security Considerations

When splitting PDFs online, protect your documents by using tools that:

• Process files locally in your browser
• Don't upload documents to remote servers
• Automatically remove files after processing
• Use secure HTTPS connections
• Don't require account creation

Split Your PDF Now

Ready to extract pages from your PDF? Use our free PDF splitting tool to separate pages in seconds. No installation required, completely secure, and unlimited use.

💡 Pro Tip: If you need to rearrange pages in addition to splitting, consider extracting pages in the order you want, then merging them back together in your preferred sequence.