How to Split a PDF and Extract Specific Pages

To split a PDF and keep only specific pages, open Split PDF, choose the file, and type the pages you want in the range box, for example 1-3, 7. Click Split PDF and a new PDF downloads with exactly those pages, while your original stays untouched. If you would rather remove a few pages, or change their order, two other tools do that job better, and this guide shows when to use each.

How the page range box works

Split PDF takes one file and one page range, and gives you one new PDF. You write the range with commas between parts and a hyphen for a run of pages. A few rules decide what ends up in the file:

You type	Pages in the new PDF	Why
1-3, 7	1, 2, 3, 7	A run plus a single page
7, 1-3	1, 2, 3, 7	Pages are always put in page-number order
5-3	3, 4, 5	A backwards run is read the right way round
2, 2-4	2, 3, 4	Repeated pages are included once
10-15 on an 11-page file	10, 11	Numbers past the last page are ignored

The new file is named after the original with -split added, so contract.pdf becomes contract-split.pdf. Nothing is re-rendered: the selected pages are copied as they are, so quality does not change.

Worked example: pages 1 to 3 and 7 of a contract

Say a landlord sends a 12-page tenancy agreement and the letting portal wants only the summary pages (1 to 3) and the signature page (7).

1. Open Split PDF and drop in the agreement.
2. Type 1-3, 7 in the range box.
3. Click Split PDF. A 4-page file called agreement-split.pdf downloads.
4. Open it and check the pages before you upload it.

Because the output always follows page-number order, you cannot use Split PDF to put page 7 first. If the portal wants the signature page at the front, use Organize PDF on the result, covered below.

Splitting one PDF into several files

Each run produces one file, so splitting a document into several parts means one run per part. For a 12-page bundle that holds three 4-page forms:

Run	Range	Result
1	1-4	First form
2	5-8	Second form
3	9-12	Third form

Each download carries the same -split name, so your browser may add a number to the second and third. Rename each file as it lands, for example form-a.pdf, so you can tell them apart later.

To pull every page out as its own file, run one page per split. For a long document that becomes slow, and it is usually a sign you want pages as images instead.

Extract, delete or reorder: which tool?

All three tools work on one PDF at a time, in your browser, and leave the original file as it is.

You want to	Use	What you type or do	Output name
Keep a few pages out of many	Split PDF	The pages to keep, e.g. 1-3, 7	name-split.pdf
Remove a few pages and keep the rest	Delete PDF Pages	The pages to remove, e.g. 2, 9-10	name-edited.pdf
Change the order of pages	Organize PDF	Up and down arrows on each page row, × to drop a page	name-organized.pdf

The rule of thumb: type whichever list is shorter. Keeping 3 pages of 40 is a split. Removing 3 pages of 40 is a delete.

Delete PDF Pages has two extra helpers. It shows the page count as soon as you choose the file, with a live line saying how many pages your entry removes and keeps. It also has buttons that fill in every even or every odd page number, which is the fastest way to strip blank backs from a double-sided scan. It refuses to remove every page, so at least one always remains.

Organize PDF shows each page as a row labelled with its original page number. There are no thumbnails, so have the PDF open in a viewer beside it while you move pages.

Get the page numbers right

The numbers you type are physical page positions, counted from 1 at the very first page. They are not the numbers printed on the pages. A report with a cover and a contents page might print "1" on its third physical page, so typing 1 would give you the cover.

To avoid this, look at the page counter in your PDF viewer, which shows the physical position, such as "3 of 12", rather than the printed folio. Check the output once before sending it.

Common jobs, and the quickest route

• Send only the signed page. Split with the single page number, for example 7.
• Pull one chapter from a long manual. Split with its run, such as 45-62.
• Remove blank backs from a duplex scan. Delete PDF Pages, using the even-page button.
• Put an appendix before the main text. Organize PDF, moving those rows up.
• Rebuild a pack from parts. Split out what you need from each file, then join them with Merge PDF, which also lets you drag files into order. Our guide to combining multiple PDFs into one file has tips on naming parts so the order stays right.

One limit applies to all of these tools: a password-protected PDF cannot be read, and Split PDF will say so. Open the file with its password, save an unprotected copy, and split that copy instead.