How to split a PDF into separate files

With Pages > Split, PDF by Zaweba breaks one PDF into several files in whichever way suits the document: every so many pages, before pages you choose, at each top-level bookmark, or into files that each stay under a size you set. It runs on your own PC, and it never overwrites a file that's already there.

Splitting is the opposite of combining, and it comes up just as often. A scanner that produced one long file from a whole stack of letters, a report that has to be sent chapter by chapter, or a document that's too big to email in one piece all need it.

The four ways to split

Every N pages is the simplest. Tell it 1 and each page becomes its own file. Tell it 2 and you get pairs, which suits a stack of two-page forms scanned in one go. Any fixed length works the same way.

Before chosen pages lets you mark where each new part should begin. Choose the first page of each section and the document is cut just before each one. This is the way to go when the parts are different lengths, such as a bundle of invoices of one, two and four pages.

At each top-level bookmark uses the document's own outline. A well-made report or manual has a bookmark for each chapter, and splitting there gives you one file per chapter, named after the bookmarks. That naming saves a lot of renaming afterwards.

Into files under a size is for email and upload limits. Give a size, and the document is cut into parts that each come in under it.

Splitting a document

Open the PDF and choose Pages > Split. Pick the method and give its setting: the number of pages, the pages to split before, or the size. Choose a folder for the parts and run it.

Because a part never overwrites an existing file, it's safe to split into a folder that already has files in it. Still, an empty folder makes the results easier to check. Open a couple of the parts to make sure the cuts fall where you expected.

Splitting many files at once

When you have a pile of PDFs that all need the same treatment, Split several files applies one split to a whole list of them and puts all the parts in one folder. If every scan in a batch holds a series of two-page forms, for example, set it once and let it work through them.

Splitting, or extracting

Splitting cuts the whole document into parts. If you only need some pages out of a file, and don't care about the rest, extracting is simpler: choose the pages in the thumbnails and use Pages > Extract to save them as a new document or as separate files.

And sometimes the job is really about reordering, not cutting. Dragging thumbnails or using the Organise pages grid can put a document right without making any new files at all.

Tips for clean parts

Check the bookmarks before splitting at them. If the outline has a bookmark for the cover, the contents or a stray heading, you'll get parts for those too. PDF by Zaweba can edit bookmarks, so tidy the outline first and the split follows it.

When splitting by size, remember that a page full of photos weighs much more than a page of text, so parts will vary in page count. If they're still too large, File > Reduce file size can shrink the document before you split.

PDF by Zaweba is free software for Windows that works offline with no account, so the documents you split stay on your computer.