PDF Page Splitter

Overview

Extract specific pages from a PDF into a new document using a simple range syntax - 1-3, 5, 8-10 - with live validation as you type. The new PDF is built with pdf-lib entirely in your browser and downloads immediately. Useful for pulling a chapter out of a report, splitting a scan, or sending only relevant pages.

How It Works

Drop a single PDF; its page count appears so you know the valid range. Type the pages to extract using commas and hyphens: single pages (5), ranges (1-3) or a mix. Validation runs as you type - out-of-range pages, reversed ranges and syntax errors are reported immediately next to the field. Leave the field empty to extract all pages. Press the split action and a new PDF named after the original with an -extracted suffix downloads containing exactly the selected pages in ascending order.

Step-by-Step Usage Guide

1. Drop the PDF and note its page count.
2. Type the pages or ranges to extract, for example 1-3, 5, 8-10.
3. Fix any validation error shown beside the field.
4. Split and download the new -extracted PDF.

Technical Specifications & Standards

The range parser is strict and transparent: it splits on commas, then on hyphens, requires 1-based numbers within the document's page count, rejects start-greater-than-end ranges, and collects results into a set so duplicates entered twice extract once. The parsed set is sorted ascending, so the output page order follows the source document rather than the order you typed - typing 9, 1-3 yields pages 1 through 4, not 9 first. Extraction copies the selected pages into a fresh PDFDocument rather than trimming the original, which preserves each page's own size, rotation and resources without touching the source file in memory. Because a new document is built, annotations and form fields attached to extracted pages generally come along, but document-level features - bookmarks, metadata, attachments - do not, since they belong to the original file rather than its pages. Encrypted PDFs hit the same limits as the merger tool: structure may load, protected content cannot be decrypted here.

Targeted Use Cases

• Extracting a single chapter or section from a long report.
• Pulling the signed pages out of a large contract for separate filing.
• Splitting a combined scan into per-document files.
• Sharing only the relevant pages of a large PDF over email.

Notes & Gotchas

• Check the shown page count before typing ranges; validation is 1-based.
• Remember output order follows the document, not your typing order.
• Duplicate pages in the input are extracted once, not twice.
• Bookmarks and metadata stay with the original; the extracted file is pages only.

Frequently Asked Questions