How to split a PDF into pages or pull out just the ones you need
Most of the time you do not need the whole PDF, you need pages 12 to 15 of it. Here is how to take exactly those, what the tool does with a page range, and where it stops.
Last checked 2026-10-14.
Decide which job you have
Splitting a PDF covers three different jobs, and our split tool handles each in its own way:
- Take one stretch of pages, say pages 4 to 6 of a contract. Choose 'Keep a page range as one PDF', type the pages in the Pages to keep box, and you get one PDF with just those pages.
- Take several stretches into one file, say pages 1 to 3, page 7, and pages 10 to 12. This is the same option. Type all of them in the box and they come out together in one PDF.
- Make every page its own file. Choose 'Every page as its own PDF' and you get one PDF per page.
Typing a page range
Write the pages separated by commas, using a dash for a stretch: 1-3, 5, 8-10. Spaces do not matter. We checked each of these against the tool:
- Page 1 is the first page of the file, whatever number is printed on it. If a report has a cover and then a page printed as 1, that printed page 1 is page 2 of the file.
- Pages come out in the order they appear in the file, not the order you typed them. Typing 5, 1 gives you page 1 and then page 5, and a page named twice appears once.
- A range that runs past the end is cut off at the end. Asking for 10-20 in a 12-page file gives pages 10 to 12.
- A range that matches nothing produces no file. That covers a page beyond the end and a backwards range such as 5-3. The page tells you how many pages the PDF has.
- Anything it cannot read, such as letters, is refused with a reminder of the format.
The result is named after your file with the pages on the end, so pages 4 to 6 of contract.pdf come back as contract-pages-4-6.pdf.
Every page as its own file
Choose 'Every page as its own PDF' and each page becomes a separate file, named report-page-1.pdf, report-page-2.pdf, and so on. When there is more than one file, the page offers each one for download and also a single ZIP file holding all of them, which is the easier way to take twenty pages.
On the free plan this option stops at the first 20 pages. If the PDF is longer, you also get a short text file saying how far it got, for example the first 20 of 25 pages. The page range option has no page limit of its own, so you can still take any stretch of a long PDF that way.
What comes through, and what does not
Splitting copies the pages. It does not redraw them. Text stays text and can still be selected, images are carried across as they are, and the page size does not change. We checked by splitting a test file and reading the text back out of the result. Your original file is not changed, because you get new files.
What can be lost is whatever belongs to the whole document rather than to a page. Bookmarks and the fillable parts of a form may not carry across, so if the PDF is a form someone has to fill in, open the result and check it before you rely on it.
Pulling out pages is also not redaction. A page you keep is kept whole, including anything on it you would rather not share. Hiding part of a page is a different job, and this tool does not do it.
Why take pages instead of sending the whole file
Sending only the pages that matter keeps the rest of the document with you, whether that is the rest of a long contract or the months of a statement that nobody asked for. Because the splitting happens in your browser, the document is not uploaded to do it.
A smaller file is also the quickest way under an attachment limit. Our guide to making a PDF small enough to email covers compression, but sometimes the answer to a PDF that is too big is simply fewer pages.
How big a PDF the free plan can split
The free plan takes PDFs up to 10 MB (megabytes) each. A bigger file is turned away with a message before any work starts. A PDF that is mostly text is usually small enough, and a PDF of scanned pages often is not.
When to use something else
We would rather say this than have you fight the tool:
- You need the pages in a different order. The tool never changes the order of pages. You could split into single pages and put them back in the order you want with Merge PDF, but the free plan merges 3 files at a time, so that is practical only for a few pages. On a Mac, Apple's guide to Preview says you can delete pages and drag them into a new order, and that dragging thumbnails to the desktop creates a new PDF.
- The PDF is over 10 MB. The free plan will not take it, which makes this tool the wrong choice for that file. Preview, as above, is one option on a Mac.
- You need to split by file size, or at every chapter heading. The tool splits by page number only.
- You need to hide part of a page. Keeping or dropping whole pages is all this does.
Questions people ask
How do I pull one page out of a PDF?
Choose 'Keep a page range as one PDF', type the page number in the Pages to keep box, and press Split. You get a PDF with only that page.
Can I split a PDF by file size?
No. The tool splits by page range or into single pages. To get under a size limit, take fewer pages, or see the guide to making a PDF small enough to email.
Why did I get No pages matched?
The pages you asked for are not in the file. The message states how many pages the PDF has. Remember that page 1 is the first page of the file, not the number printed on it.
Why did the every page option stop at 20?
On the free plan that option does the first 20 pages and says so in a short text file. The page range option, 'Keep a page range as one PDF', does not have that limit.
Is the PDF uploaded?
No. The file is split inside your browser tab, and the page is only allowed to talk to its own site. You may see one small request to upfrontpdf.com that counts the visit, and it carries no part of your document.
Is it free?
Every tool is free every day, up to a daily cap, and there is no account to make. The free plan takes up to 3 files at a time, 10 MB each. The pricing page has the details.
Try it
Splitting happens in your browser, so the document is never uploaded. Your original file is not changed.