How to Split a PDF into Multiple Files (2, 3 or More Parts)

To split a PDF into multiple files, open split PDF, choose your file, and pick how to cut it: Every page as its own PDF, Custom ranges such as 1-3, 4-10, 11-, or Every N pages for equal parts. Press Split PDF and download each file, or all of them at once as a ZIP. It is free, it works in any phone or laptop browser, and the PDF never leaves your device.

Splitting is useful when a portal wants each certificate as a separate upload, when a long document is too big to email, or when you only need to share part of a report.

The three ways to split

Mode	What you get	Good for
Every page as its own PDF	One file per page	A scan of several certificates that must be uploaded separately
Custom ranges	One file per range you type	Splitting a PDF into 2, 3 or 4 specific parts
Every N pages	Equal chunks of N pages	Breaking a very long document into manageable pieces

Files are named after the original, with the pages added, for example report-pages-1-10.pdf or scan-page-3.pdf, so you can tell them apart.

How to split a PDF into multiple files, step by step

Open split PDF and choose your PDF. The page count and size appear once it loads.
Pick a mode in the Split box.
Enter the details. For Custom ranges, type ranges separated by commas. For Every N pages, set the number of pages per file.
Press Split PDF.
Download. Each part has its own Download button. When there is more than one, a Download all (.zip) button appears too.

The pages are copied exactly, so text stays selectable and quality does not change.

Split PDF in two parts

Type two ranges in Custom ranges:

1-5, 6- splits after page 5. The open-ended 6- means "page 6 to the end", so you do not need to know the exact page count.
1-1, 2- separates a cover page from the rest.

To split a PDF in half by page count, check the number of pages shown after loading. For a 24-page document, use 1-12, 13-, or choose Every N pages with N = 12.

Split PDF in 3 parts (or 4)

Same idea, more ranges:

Three parts: 1-8, 9-16, 17-
Four parts: 1-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-

Ranges do not have to be equal. If a merged application file has a 2-page form, a 6-page transcript and a 1-page ID, type 1-2, 3-8, 9 to get three clean documents back.

Ranges may also overlap or skip pages, for example 1-3, 3-5. Each range simply becomes its own file.

Split PDF pages free: separate every page

Choose Every page as its own PDF. A 7-page scan becomes seven single-page PDFs. This is the fastest way to separate a bundle of certificates scanned in one go.

If you only need a few of those pages, not all, extract PDF pages is quicker: type the pages to keep, such as 2, 5, and get one new PDF with just those. Our guide on how to extract pages from a PDF explains the difference in more detail.

Split a PDF on a phone

The tool works in Chrome on Android and Safari on iPhone. Choose the PDF from Downloads or Files, split it, and tap Download for each part, or use Download all to get a single ZIP. On iPhone, tapping the ZIP in the Files app unpacks it; on Android, most Files apps can extract ZIPs too.

For very long PDFs, a laptop is faster, but phones handle typical documents of a few dozen pages without trouble.

Split a PDF on Mac

Our tool works in Safari, Chrome or Firefox on a Mac. You can also use Preview:

Open the PDF in Preview and choose View > Thumbnails.
Select the pages you want in the sidebar (hold Command to select several).
Drag the selected thumbnails onto the desktop or a Finder window. Preview creates a new PDF containing just those pages.

Repeat for each part. The browser tool is quicker when you need many parts at once.

Split a PDF on Windows

Windows has no built-in split command, but you can print a page range to a new PDF: open the PDF in Edge or Chrome, press Ctrl + P, choose Microsoft Print to PDF (Edge) or Save as PDF (Chrome), set Pages to a custom range like 1-5, and save. Repeat for each part. Printing can drop links and form fields, so for exact copies use the split tool instead.

Splitting to get under a size limit

If a document is too big for an email or portal, split it and then compress each part:

Split into two or three parts by page range.
Compress each with compress PDF using a target size, or a preset such as compress PDF to 2 MB.

Splitting alone already makes each part smaller in proportion to its pages. A 6 MB, 30-page scan split into three gives roughly 2 MB parts, though pages with photos weigh more than text pages.

Common mistakes

Typing ranges past the last page. If the PDF has 20 pages, 21-25 shows an error. Use open-ended ranges like 15- to be safe.
Uploading the wrong part. The page numbers in each filename tell you which part is which; rename them clearly before uploading.
Splitting a password-protected PDF. It may not open. Remove the password in the app that set it first.
Expecting a page to be cut in half. Splitting works on whole pages. For two-page spreads, convert to images with PDF to JPG and crop each half.

Questions

How do I split a PDF into 2 files?

Open Split PDF, choose Custom ranges, and type something like 1-5, 6- (the dash with no end number means 'to the last page'). You get two PDFs, which you can download one by one or together as a ZIP.

How do I split a PDF into 3 parts?

Use Custom ranges with three ranges, such as 1-10, 11-20, 21-. Or, if you want equal parts, choose Every N pages and set N to the page count divided by three, rounded up.

How do I split PDF pages for free on a Mac?

Our split tool works in Safari or Chrome on a Mac. In Preview, you can also select page thumbnails in the sidebar and drag them to the desktop to create a new PDF of just those pages.

Can I split a PDF by file size, like 2 MB per part?

Not directly; the tool splits by pages. Split into a few parts by page range, then compress each part to the size you need.

Can I split one page down the middle, into two halves?

No. Splitting separates whole pages into different files; it does not cut a page in half. For a two-page book scan, crop each half as an image instead.