Orpheus

Split PDF — Extract Pages

Pull a page or a range out of a PDF into a new document.

Every tool runs entirely in your browser. Your files are never uploaded to a server.

Splitting a PDF copies the pages you name into a new document and leaves the original untouched. Type single pages, ranges, or both, such as 2-5, 8. It runs in your browser, so nothing is uploaded.

How to use Split PDF

  1. Add your PDF. Drag it onto the drop zone or click to browse. Several PDFs at once is fine — each is split the same way.
  2. Say which pages to keep. Type page numbers, ranges, or a mix: 2-5, 8, 11-. A trailing dash means "to the end".
  3. Extract and save. A new PDF comes back with only those pages, in page order. Your original file is not modified.

About splitting a PDF

Splitting a PDF sounds destructive and is not. The operation builds a new, empty document, copies the page objects you named into it, and writes that out — the file you started with is only ever read. That is worth knowing because it means you can extract overlapping ranges as many times as you like without degrading anything, and because it explains why the result is so often much smaller than a proportional share of the original. A PDF stores fonts, colour profiles and images in a shared pool; pulling out three pages of a two-hundred-page report copies only the resources those three pages actually reference. Occasionally the opposite happens: if every page uses the same large embedded typeface, a one-page extract still carries the whole font subset and looks disproportionately heavy. What splitting cannot preserve is anything that described the document as a whole. Bookmarks pointing at pages you did not keep are dropped, page numbering set in the document catalogue restarts, and internal links to discarded pages become dead. Digital signatures are invalidated, because the signed byte range no longer exists. For most uses — sending one chapter, filing one invoice, keeping one page of a scan — none of that matters. For a legal or signed document it matters a great deal, so keep the original.

Frequently asked questions

How do I write the page range?
Single numbers, ranges, or both, separated by commas or spaces: 2-5, 8, 11-. A trailing dash means "to the last page" and a leading dash means "from the first". Pages are always returned in document order, however you type them.
What if I ask for a page that does not exist?
Numbers past the end are ignored rather than treated as an error, so 1-50 on a twelve-page file simply gives you all twelve. If nothing at all is in range you get a clear message saying how many pages the document actually has.
Is my original file changed?
No. The pages you select are copied into a brand new document. The file you dropped in is never written to — your browser only ever read it.
Can I split one PDF into separate files per page?
Not in one click yet. Run the tool once per page or range you want, or extract the ranges you need. Every run leaves the source untouched, so you can do it as many times as you like.
Does the text stay selectable?
Yes. Pages are copied as they are, not rendered to images, so text, links and embedded fonts survive intact.

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