Writing page ranges
The range box takes the notation people already expect from a print dialog.
| You write | You get |
|---|---|
1-3 | pages one, two and three |
7 | page seven alone |
12- | page twelve to the end |
1-3, 7, 12- | all of the above, in that order |
5-1 | pages one to five; a reversed range is read as a range |
The order matters. 3, 1 gives you a two-page file with the original page three first.
Which mode
Extract pages into one file is the common case: you want a handful of pages out of a long document, as a single new PDF.
Split into one file per range turns 1-4, 5-8 into two files. Useful when a scanner produced one long file containing several documents.
One file per page is for when you need every page separately, for example to reorder them in another tool or to attach individual pages.
What is preserved and what is not
Text stays selectable, images keep their resolution, vector graphics stay vector, and page sizes are carried over individually, so a mixed A4 and A3 document survives.
Form fields, digital signatures and encryption do not survive, and no tool can preserve a signature through a split: the signature covers the original document, and the extract is a different document.
Why this one does not upload
A PDF you want to split is usually a document you received: a contract, a statement, a scanned application, a report. Sending it to a stranger’s server to cut out three pages is a poor trade. This runs in your browser with a JavaScript PDF library, which is also why it works with no internet connection once the page has loaded.
Questions
How do I write the page ranges?
Commas separate ranges: `1-3, 7, 12-` means pages one to three, page seven, and page twelve to the end. The order you write is the order you get.
What is the difference between the three modes?
Extract puts every selected page into one new file. Split makes one file per comma-separated range. One file per page does exactly that.
Is my document uploaded?
No. The file is read and rewritten in your browser. You can confirm it in the network tab of your developer tools.
Can I split a password-protected PDF?
Only if it is not truly encrypted. A file that needs a password to open cannot be read here, by design.
Does splitting reduce quality?
No. Pages are copied as they are, not re-rendered, so text stays text and images are untouched.