Split a PDF by page ranges
Splitting a PDF usually means one of two things: you want a few specific pages out of a large document, or you want to cut the whole thing into several smaller files. The split tool does both, and it gives you three ways to describe what you want.
Everything happens in your browser, so a contract, a medical record or anything else private stays on your device while you work on it.
Here is how to split a PDF by page ranges, extract pages, and cut a document into equal parts.
How to Split a PDF by Page Ranges and Extract Pages | LocalPDF
- 01
Add your PDF
Drop it in or pick it from your files. Its pages are shown as thumbnails.
- 02
Choose how to split
Extract picks exactly the pages you name and drops the rest. Split into parts cuts the document into several files, either one per range or every N pages.
- 03
Write the ranges
Type ranges like 1-3, 5, 8- or use the last keyword. Click thumbnails if you would rather pick pages by eye.
- 04
Download
Save a single PDF when extracting, or download every part together as a ZIP when splitting.
Questions
How do I split a PDF into separate pages?
Open the split tool, add the PDF, and choose to split every 1 page. Each page is written to its own file and the results come as a ZIP. You can also name specific ranges to decide exactly how the document is cut.
How do I extract just a few pages from a PDF?
Use extract and list the pages you want, for example 1-3, 7, 12-. You get one new PDF containing only those pages, in the order you listed them, with everything else left out.
What do the range symbols mean?
Separate items with commas. “1-3” is pages 1 to 3, “8-” runs from page 8 to the end, “-3” is the first three pages, and “last” is the final page. When extracting, pages come out in the order you write them.
Do links and bookmarks still work after splitting?
Links and bookmarks between pages you keep go on working. Ones that point at pages you left out are removed, so nothing leads to a missing page. Form fields, page labels and layers on the kept pages are carried over.
Is my PDF uploaded when I split it?
No. Splitting runs in your browser, on your device. The file is never sent to a server, and once the page has loaded the tool keeps working with your connection switched off.
How to write page ranges
Separate items with commas. “1-3” means pages 1 to 3, “5” is just page 5, “8-” runs from page 8 to the end, and “-3” is the first three pages. “last” stands for the final page.
When you extract, pages come out in the order you list them, so “5, 1-3” puts page 5 first. That is a quick way to reorder pages without a separate tool.
Extract versus split
Extract gives you one new PDF containing only the pages you chose. That is useful for pulling a signed page, an appendix or a single invoice out of a long file. Split gives you several files at once: one per range you name, or an even cut every N pages.
If you are sending part of a document onward, extract and share the one file. If you need to email a long report in pieces, split into parts and send them separately.
What happens to links and bookmarks
Links and bookmarks between pages you keep go on working, re-pointed to their new positions. Ones that pointed at pages you left out are removed, so nothing leads to a page that is no longer there. Form fields, page labels and layers on the kept pages carry over too.
Each new file also keeps only the fonts and images its own pages use, so a split does not carry every resource from the whole document. The parts come out smaller than you might expect.