Split PDF

Can I extract a single page?

Yes. Set both the "from" and "to" fields of a range to the same page number to extract just that page.

Can ranges overlap?

Ranges are validated for order (from must be ≤ to) but they can overlap - overlapping ranges will each produce their own output file.

Does splitting modify my original PDF?

No. Splitting only ever reads the source document - each range you define is written out as a brand-new file, and the PDF you dropped in is left exactly as it was on your device.

Do bookmarks and form fields carry over into the split files?

Bookmarks do, form fields do not. Each output file keeps the bookmarks that point at its own pages, renumbered to the new file, and none of the others: a bookmark for a page in a different file is left in that file, and its title does not appear in this one. If a file starts in the middle of a chapter, the chapter's own bookmark stays behind and its sections come across as top-level bookmarks. A bookmark's colour and bold or italic style are not kept, and neither are bookmarks that run some other action; the result says how many. Fillable form fields keep their appearance but stop being fillable. Page text, images and rotation are unaffected. Links between pages in the same file keep working; a link to a page that went into a different file is removed, and nothing from that page is carried along.

How do I download all the output files at once?

When a split produces more than one file, a "Download all as ZIP" button appears. Click it to get a single archive containing every output PDF.

How does splitting by bookmarks work?

Each bookmark (an entry in the PDF's outline, the table of contents a reader shows in its sidebar) starts a new file, named after it. Choose a level to cut at chapters only, or at sections too. Pages before the first bookmark become their own file. Each file also keeps the bookmarks that point at its own pages.

Why do the parts add up to more than the original file?

Fonts and images shared between pages are stored once in the original, but each part that uses them needs its own copy. Splitting a 10 MB file into five parts can give five files that total more than 10 MB.

What size limit should I use for email?

Attachments grow by about a third when they are sent, so choose a size well under your provider's limit: for Gmail's 25 MB limit, choose 15 MB; for Outlook.com's 20 MB, choose 10 MB. The 25 MB setting suits upload portals that state a 25 MB file limit, where nothing is re-encoded. Every part HerePDF makes is measured, so it is never over the size you choose - unless a single page is bigger than that on its own, which is flagged.

How do I split a scanned spread - two book pages scanned as one - into separate pages?

Choose "Cut in half". Every page becomes two pages in one file: left then right (or top then bottom). Use "Cut at" if the gutter is off-centre, and "Right first" for a book read right to left. The preview shows where the cut falls and which half comes first.

Does cutting in half delete the other half?

No. Like Crop, it changes what is shown, not what is stored: each half page still contains the whole original page in the file, so someone with a PDF editor can bring the rest back. If something must be gone, use Redact. A cut page is also twice the page count of the original, and bookmarks do not carry over.