Split PDF into separate files.
Extract any page or range into its own PDF. Define multiple ranges in one go, download each result separately.
What does splitting a PDF mean?
Splitting a PDF means taking one document and dividing it into multiple smaller documents based on page ranges you define. For example, you might have a 20-page report and only need pages 1–5 for one recipient and pages 12–18 for another. Rather than sharing the full document, you can extract exactly the pages you need into separate PDFs.
Foliopress lets you define multiple ranges in a single operation. Type something like "1-3, 5, 8-12" and the tool produces three separate PDFs: one containing pages 1 through 3, one with just page 5, and one with pages 8 through 12. All processing runs in your browser — no uploads, no accounts, no data leaving your device.
Common reasons to split a PDF
Splitting is useful in a wide range of situations. Legal professionals often receive large document bundles and need to extract specific exhibits or sections. Academics may want to pull out individual chapters from a combined thesis or paper. Teachers frequently need to distribute selected pages from a larger resource. Designers split multi-page decks to share individual slides as standalone files.
In business, splitting is commonly used to separate invoices from statements, extract signature pages, or distribute only the relevant portion of a lengthy contract. The tool is also useful for archiving — pulling out specific pages for filing while keeping the rest separately.
Page ranges — how they work
When you enter a page range like "1-5, 8, 11-15", Foliopress treats each comma-separated entry as a separate output file. A single number like "8" extracts just that page. A range like "11-15" extracts five consecutive pages. You can enter as many ranges as you need — there's no limit on the number of output files.
Pages are numbered from 1, matching what you see in any PDF viewer. If your document has 10 pages and you enter "2-4, 7, 9-10", you'll receive three downloads: a 3-page file, a 1-page file, and a 2-page file. The original document is not modified — all operations happen on a copy read into browser memory.
Privacy and how it works
When you drop a PDF onto Foliopress, your browser reads it using the standard File API — a local memory operation that involves no network activity. The splitting logic runs using pdf-lib, a JavaScript PDF engine that executes entirely within your browser tab. The output files are generated in memory and offered as downloads via local object URLs. Nothing is transmitted to a server at any point. There are no file size limits imposed by server infrastructure, no queues, and no data retention concerns.