How to Split a PDF or Extract Pages

Merge, Split & OrganizeUpdated Sep 23, 2026
Quick answer

The universal trick: open the PDF in Chrome or Edge, choose Print, set the printer to 'Save as PDF', enter the page range you want (e.g. 3-7), and save. On a Mac you can also drag page thumbnails out of Preview. For splitting into many files at once, use an online splitter or PDFsam Basic.

Method 1: Print to PDF (any computer, free)

  1. Open the PDF in Chrome or Edge (drag it into a browser window).
  2. Press Ctrl+P (Windows) or Cmd+P (Mac).
  3. Destination: Save as PDF (Chrome) or Microsoft Print to PDF (Edge).
  4. Pages: choose Custom and enter e.g. 1-3 or 2, 5, 8-10.
  5. Save. Repeat for each part.

Method 2: Mac Preview

  1. Open the PDF > View > Thumbnails.
  2. Select the pages you want (Cmd+click).
  3. Drag them to the desktop. Preview creates a new PDF with just those pages.

Method 3: iPhone and iPad

  1. Open the PDF in Files and show thumbnails (swipe from the left edge or tap the sidebar icon).
  2. Long-press a page. You can delete or rotate pages, then save a copy.
  3. Or use Print, select a page range, pinch outward, then Share > Save to Files.

Method 4: Split into many files

  • Online splitters: split by range, every N pages, or file size.
  • PDFsam Basic (free, offline): Split module > “Split after every N pages” or “Split by size”.

Frequently asked questions

Does 'Print to PDF' lose quality?

Text and vectors stay sharp. Links, bookmarks and form fields may be lost. If you need them preserved, use a proper split tool (Preview, PDFsam, Acrobat or an online splitter).

How do I split a PDF into single pages?

Use an online splitter's 'split every page' option or PDFsam Basic's 'Split after every page'. You'll get one file per page, often in a ZIP.

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