How to split a PDF file

Have you ever wanted to split a PDF file and spread its pages across multiple documents? I bet yes and, since you are the usual “lucky guy”, I am convinced that when it happened you did not have a tool to separate these documents at hand. Did I guess? Well, it doesn’t matter. These problems are now a thing of the past!

You must know, in fact, that there are convenient free software, as well as online services and apps for smartphones and tablets, which allow you to divide the pages of PDFs without unnecessary waiting and without altering the quality of the original documents: just start them, select the file to split, specify the number of pages to be extrapolated and that’s it.

Yes you read that right! You can do everything in a handful of clicks, without resorting to complicated professional software and without necessarily having to be a “geek”. So, what do you think? Are you ready to find out what are the best solutions you can rely on and learn how to split a PDF file using them? Yup? Well, then read on: find everything below!

Index

• How to split a PDF file into multiple pages
  • Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (Windows / macOS)
  • PDFill FREE PDF Tools (Windows)
  • Preview (macOS)
• How to split a PDF file online
  • iLovePDF
  • Other solutions to split a PDF file online
• App to split a PDF file
  • PDF Tools (Android)
  • Power PDF (iOS / iPadOS)

How to split a PDF file into multiple pages

To begin with, let’s find out what are the tools you have on your side to divide a PDF file into multiple pages by acting as a computer. Below you will find the best programs for Windows and macOS to perform the aforementioned operation. They are very easy to use, don’t worry!

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (Windows / macOS)

The first tool I recommend you consider to split a PDF file is Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. It is a program from Adobe, the software house that invented the PDF format, through which it is possible to open, view and edit files of the type in question in various ways, even by dividing them. It is compatible with both Windows and macOS and is paid (has a base cost of € 18.29 / month), but can be tried for free and without limitations for 7 days.

To download the program on your computer, go to its website and click on the Try button (7 days). Proceed, therefore, with the activation of the trial, by typing the email address of your Adobe ID in the appropriate field on the left (if you do not yet have an Adobe account, you can create one at the moment, following the instructions on the screen), by clicking on the Continue button, entering the relative password and providing the requested data relating to the payment. Then wait for the download of the program to complete.

When the download is complete, if you are using Windows, open the .exe file obtained, click on the Login button that you find in the window that appears on the desktop and log in to your Adobe account, entering the required data, then press the Start installing button. Once the setup is complete, click on the Login button to log in with your Adobe ID and on the Start trial version button to start the trial.

If you are using macOS, on the other hand, open the .dmg package obtained and double-click on the Acrobat Pro DC installer icon that you find in the window that appears. Then, type in the password of your user account on the Mac and click on the OK button. Then log into your Adobe account, pressing the Login button and providing the required data, then click the Start installing button and wait for the setup to start and finish.

Now that, regardless of the operating system used, you see the program window on the screen, to split a PDF file with Adobe Reader click on the Tools menu located at the top and press the Open button that you find under the heading Organize files.

Next, click on the Select a file button located in the center of the screen and select the PDF on your computer that you want to split. At this point, click on the item division that are on top of, specific screen using the menu Split based on if you intend to split the PDF based on the number of pages, file size, or by bookmarks and type in the details possibly requested in the adjacent field.

Now, click on the Output Options button and adjust the settings related to the output, indicating the folder in which to save the output files, if you want to overwrite the existing files etc. Finally, press the Division button and wait for the process to finish.

I also point out that if you deem it necessary you can split multiple files simultaneously, by clicking on the Split multiple files button and selecting, through the additional window that opens, the other documents you wish to act on.

PDFill FREE PDF Tools (Windows)

If you use a Windows PC and are looking for alternative software to split a PDF file for free, you can safely rely on PDFill FREE PDF Tools, a suite of free tools for editing and converting PDF files.

To download it on your computer, connected to its official website and first click on the Download now button located under the heading Get this tool only and then on the Download Now button on the page that opens.

When the download is complete, start the .exe file obtained and, in the window you see appear on the desktop, first click on the Yes and Next buttons. Then accept the conditions of use of the program, placing the checkmark next to the item I accept the terms in the License Agreement and complete the setup by pressing the Next buttons in sequence (twice consecutively), Install and Finish.

Keep in mind that during the setup procedure you will surely be asked to install and download on your PC two free applications called Ghost Script and .NET Framework (without which PDFill FREE PDF Tools cannot work): accept without fear, it will take a few minutes to top it all off.

When the installation is complete, launch PDFill Free PDF Tools, selecting the relevant link that has been added to the Start menu. Once the software window is displayed on the screen, click on the Split or reorder pages button and select the document to split into two or more parts.

Therefore, put the checkmark next to the Split pages from the item and fill in the two adjacent text fields with the numbers of the start and end pages of the first PDF you want to obtain.

Subsequently, if you want to split a PDF file in two, put the check next to the option Save the other pages as a PDF file and click on the Save as button to choose the folder in which to save the two final documents.

Instead, if you want to split a PDF file into several parts, click directly on the Save as a button and repeat the process for all the segments in which you want to split the document (specifying each time the range of pages to be included in the Split pages from field ).

Preview (macOS)

If you use a Mac and you need to split a PDF file, know that you can do everything with Preview, the software included “standard” in macOS that allows you to view both images and documents in PDF format and allows you to make basic changes.

To be able to use it, first open the PDF to be split by double-clicking on its icon. If in doing this Preview does not open, right click on the file of your interest, select the Open with item from the context menu and then the Preview one.

After opening the document, call up the print command, selecting the File menu at the top left and then the Print item attached to it. Alternatively, you can use the combination cmd + p on your computer keyboard.

In the window that opens, put the checkmark next to the From item and fill in the two adjacent text fields with the numbers of the start and end pages of the first PDF you want to obtain.

Subsequently, select the item Save as PDF from the PDF drop-down menu located at the bottom left, indicate the folder in which to export the file and click the Save button.

Repeat the operation for all the “portions” of the document to be saved and in no time you will get your “chopped” PDF.

How to split a PDF file online

You don’t want or can’t install new programs on your computer and, therefore, would you like to understand if there are solutions to split a PDF file online? The answer is yes. To find out which are the best solutions of this type, continue reading, you will find them below.

iLovePDF

An excellent online service that I highly recommend you try to split a multi-page PDF file is iLovePDF, which offers many functions for editing and converting PDF files directly from the browser, allowing, of course, also to split selected documents.

Basically it is free and does not require registration, but does not allow you to upload files with a weight greater than 100 MB. It is possible to circumvent this limitation by switching to one of the paid plans (with costs starting from 6 euros/month), which also allow you to unlock other extra functions. As for the protection of privacy, the files uploaded to the service’s servers are removed within a few hours.

To use iLovePDF, go to the home page of the service, click on the Select PDF file button and download the PDF to split from your computer. You can also choose to upload the document from your Google Drive or Dropbox account by clicking on the appropriate buttons. Alternatively, you can drag the PDF on which to act directly in the browser window.

Wait, therefore, for the file upload to be completed, then choose whether to divide the document by intervals, selecting the Divide by interval option found in the Divide menu on the right and then specifying whether you intend to use custom intervals or fixed, by clicking on the buttons affixed. Then use the menus below to indicate the page ranges to keep in the output PDF.

Alternatively, you can extract all the pages in order to create a different PDF for each page of the source document, by selecting the Extract pages option that you always find in the side menu and then deciding whether to extract all the pages of the PDF or just some of them. them, by clicking on the appropriate buttons.

Once you have made your choice, press the Split PDF button and wait for the final document to be processed and then downloaded to your PC, it will all happen completely automatically. If this does not happen, you can force the download by pressing the Download split PDF button. You can also decide to save the final file on Google Drive or Dropbox or to share it via URL, simply by clicking on the appropriate buttons.

Other solutions to split a PDF file online

If you are looking for other solutions to split a PDF file by acting from the browser window, I suggest you test the services I have included in the list below. They are all very good and very easy to use.

• PDF Candy-free and working web service without registration that allows you to intervene on PDF files by dividing them, converting them, merging them, unlocking them etc. It does not set limits on the maximum weight of files for upload and the privacy of users is protected, as the documents uploaded to its servers are automatically deleted within a few hours.
• Online2PDF– this is another Web service completely free and does not require registration, which allows you to intervene on the PDF files that are given “to eat” in various ways, not only by combining them but also by dividing them, converting them, exporting images in they present etc. Note that the maximum size allowed for individual files is 100MB, while the overall size should not exceed 150MB. As far as privacy is concerned, it protects users by deleting the files that are uploaded to its servers within a few hours.
• PDF24– this is another online service for splitting PDF documents and making various other changes to the file type in question. It’s free, requires no registration and no upload limits. Additionally, files uploaded to the service’s servers are removed within hours.

App to split a PDF file

You don’t have a computer at hand and would like me to suggest apps to split a PDF file by acting as a smartphone and tablet? I’ll settle you immediately. In fact, below you will find those that, in my humble opinion, represent the most interesting solutions available for Android and iOS / iPadOS. Put them to the test now and you will see that you will not regret it.

PDF Tools (Android)

If you are using an Android device, you can split a PDF file with the PDF Tools app. It is, in fact, a free application that integrates a whole series of useful tools to make changes of various kinds to documents in PDF format, allowing not only to divide them but also to merge them, to extract the images present in them and much more. yet. It is free, but has limitations regarding the functions offered that can be bypassed by switching to the paid version (costs 3.19 euros).

To download and install PDF Utility on your device, visit the relevant section of the Play Store and press the Install button. If you are using a device on which the Play Store is not available, you can download the app through an alternative store. Then, start the app by selecting the relative icon that has been added to the home screen and/or drawer.

Now that you see the main screen of the application, tap the Split PDF button. In the new screen displayed, then press the Select PDF Files button and select the PDF file on which to act.

Now, select the Specific Page option to indicate the exact pages to split or the Specific Range option to specify a range of pages and fill in the fields below with the required data, then tap the button with the checkmark located at the bottom right. Then wait for the procedure to be completed and for the screen with the output files to be shown.

Power PDF (iOS / iPadOS)

If you have an iPhone or an iPad and are looking for a solution to split PDF documents, I recommend Power PDF. It is, in fact, a specific application for iOS / iPadOS, which allows you to create, protect, edit and view PDFs. It’s very easy to use and it’s free, but it offers in-app purchases (at a cost of € 5.49) to unlock extra features.

To download and install the app on your device, visit the relevant section of the App Store and press the Get and Install buttons. Afterwards, authorize the download via Face ID your Apple ID, Touch ID or password. Next, start the application by selecting its icon that has been added to the home screen and/or to the App Library.

Once the main Power PDF screen is displayed, select the location from which you intend to take the PDF to be split and then the file on which to act. Once the document is open, tap the button with the pencil and the paper at the top right and choose the Split item on the toolbar at the bottom.

At this point, select the pages you want to divide, then tap on the Done item in the top right and press the word YES in response to the warning that appears on the screen, in order to immediately open the divided PDF obtained. Instead, to view it later, by going to the Local Files folder accessible from the main screen of the app, select the item NO.