How to Split a PDF into Multiple PDFs

Summary :

No matter what device you are using, the online and offline methods provided in this article can help you separate a PDF document into multiple PDFs free and effortlessly.

Table of Contents

4 Free Methods to Split A PDF into Multiple Documents

Free Methods to Split a PDF into Multiple Files

Splitting a PDF into multiple documents has become essential for file size reduction and key page extraction. While Adobe Acrobat DC is a well-known tool, its cost deters many users.

In this post, we’ll share 4 free online and offline methods to separate a PDF into multiple PDFs. You can opt for the one that best suits your situation.

How to Split a PDF into Multiple PDFs Online Free

An online PDF sliper is the best solution to break a PDF into multiple files. Without app installation, the PDF task will be done at once, and consume no storage.

Among all the high-priced PDF splitters, the free PDFgear would be the most budget-friendly choice. its online tool is ads-free and email-free, facilitating page unmerging on any operating system with just an internet connection.

In 3 steps, you can get a PDF split:

Step 1. Upload PDF to PDFgear

Visit the PDFgear PDF splitter, and hit “Upload PDF file” or drag and drop your PDF files to the box for uploading.

Upload a PDF to PDFgear Online Splitter

Upload a PDF to PDFgear Online Splitter

Step 2. Split the PDF Pages in PDFgear

Use the scissors icon to manually divide the pages or set a fixed interval for extraction on the right panel. Then, hit the split button in blue.

Split the PDF Online in PDFgear

Split the PDF Online in PDFgear

Step 3. Save the New PDFs

The split completes in just a few seconds. After that, click the “Download File” button. Rename and save the new PDFs in the output folder.

Download the New PDFs

Download the New PDFs

Step 4. Rename the Split Documents

When the split documents (in a zipped folder) are downloaded, unzip the files and rename them as you prefer.

How to Split a PDF into Two PDFs with a Browser

Almost all web browsers come with a PDF reader. These web-based file viewers also help with splitting a PDF into 2 PDFs. No matter if you’re using Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or other browsers, unmerging a PDF into 2 files is easy peasy.

Step 1. Open a PDF with the Browser

Right-click the file, select “Open with”, and choose a browser. You can also drag and drop the PDF file into the new browser window (take the Google browser as an example below).

Open PDF with Google Chrome

Open PDF with Google Chrome

Step 2. Use the Print Feature

Click the printer icon in the upper right corner of the page. Select “save as PDF” in the “destination” drop-up and select the “custom” button in the “page” drop-up.

Enter the page range you want to extract in the pop-up blank box. For example, to separate 1-8 pages, enter 1-8 in the box.

Print Settings in Chrome

Print Settings in Chrome

Step 3. Save PDF from Chrome

After determining the range of pages you want, click the “save” button. Rename the new file and save it to the folder you’ve selected.

Save the New PDF in Chrome

Save the New PDF in Chrome

At present, web browsers only support separating a PDF into two PDFs at a time. If you want to get multiple PDF files with different contents, you need to repeat the above steps to create another document and enter a new page range to get the next document.
For those who want to get multiple documents simultaneously, PDFgear is the best option which is simple, effective, and free.

How to Batch Split a PDF into Multiple Files for Free

PDFgear PDF Splitter is a productivity tool that helps quickly unmerge multi-page PDFs into single-page or multi-page PDFs. It allows you to customize page ranges to split or extract an individual page from PDFs.

PDFgear saves time by splitting all desired PDFs at once. This software also offers two flexible splitting options: customizable page ranges to unmerge PDFs into multi-page PDFs or a fixed page range to extract one specific page.

As a powerful PDF page extractor, PDFgear also allows you to extract data or emails from PDF.

Step 1. Install PDFgear on Your Device

Get PDFgear on its official website or App Store.

Step 2. Find the Split Feature

Open PDFgear on your device and access the “Split PDF” tool found in the “Merge & Split” toolbox.

Navigate to the Split Tool

Navigate to the Split Tool

Step 3. Import and Split the PDF

Click on the “Add Files” button to import files > Customize the Split Mode accordingly > Specify the Output Path > Tap “Split”. The batch process is supported.

Customize the Split Settings

Customize the Split Settings

You’ll be directed to the output file folder when the conversion process is completed.

How to Split a PDF into Files with Preview on Mac

The Preview application is a default software that comes with the Mac. The intuitive design and concise interface make it easy to navigate the desired features with just a few taps or clicks.

For example, highlight a PDF, read, merge, query, and crop a PDF, export PDFs to other formats, and add comments or signatures in PDFs. The following steps can give you an idea of how to split PDF into several files.

Step 1. First, you need to open the PDF on your desktop in Preview. Click the right mouse button and select Open as Preview.

Open the PDF with Preview

Open the PDF with Preview

Step 2. Click the function area above Preview, and click “View-Thumbnails” to display the PDF as thumbnails for subsequent operations.

View Thumbnails of the PDF File

View Thumbnails of the PDF File

Step 3. In the thumbnail view, you just need to drag the pages you want to split separately to the desktop with the mouse (hold down the Command or Shift key to make multiple selections). Drag out the separate pages that will still exist in the original PDF document and will not disappear.

Spilit the PDF in Preview

Split the PDF in Preview

FAQs

Can I unmerge a PDF into multiple documents on Windows for free?

Yes. You can unmerge a PDF into multiple files for free online with PDFgear’s online PDF splitter. And all is done in just 3 simple steps. Open the splitting page of PDFgear and upload your PDF > Input the page range and split > Download the new PDFs.

Can I merge PDFs With PDFgear?

Yes. PDFgear is an all-in-one free online PDF tool that has rich functions including PDF merging. Here is the step-by-step method below (This article has a detailed description of the steps to merge PDFs): Open the tool page of the PDFgear PDF merge tool and upload one PDF > Hit the “Add” button to add other PDFs you want to merge > Click “Merge PDF” now > Download the PDF you merged to the output folder.

How do I split a PDF into multiple documents without Acrobat?

If you do not often use the function of splitting PDF, then it’s advised not to spend much money subscribing to Adobe Acrobat. PDFgear as a completely free PDF editor allows you to quickly complete the splitting of PDF: Download PDFgear > Import PDF files > Custom splitting settings > Click “Split”.

Is there a free way to split a PDF?

Many of the so-called “free” software on the market have hidden costs, but not PDFgear. It is a completely free tool. No matter what features you use, there is no charge required.

To Sum Up

If you want to split PDFs without spending money, our article provides 3 free methods, each with practical options and distinctions. You can use Preview for PDF splitting without third-party tools, but it doesn’t support batch PDF splitting.

On the other hand, PDFgear allows you to split multiple PDF files simultaneously. Give it a try for free, as both online and offline options are available.

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