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PDF files can be small (a single page) or large with multiple pages. To store complete reports, manuals, books, scanned records, invoices, and other documents in one place, PDFs often get oversized. A large PDF can become difficult to share when an email service or website has a file-size limit.
When you need to send only a few pages instead of the entire document, splitting the PDF is often more practical than compressing the whole file. Depending on the method, you can split the document by page range, number of pages, or file size. So, let’s have a look at several practical ways to split large PDF files.
Why Split Large PDF Files into Multiple Smaller PDFs?
Having smaller PDF files instead of a single large PDF file can be beneficial in several situations. There are different reasons to split a PDF into smaller files:
- The PDF is too large to attach to an email.
- A website has an upload-size restriction.
- You need to share only selected pages.
- A long report needs to be divided into separate sections.
- A scanned document contains records that need to be separated.
- You want to organize chapters, invoices, or reports into individual PDFs.
- You need to process a very large PDF more easily.
For example, if a 300-page report contains separate sections for different departments, you may want to create one PDF for each section rather than sending the complete document.
Which to Use: Choose the Right PDF Splitting Method
PDF file splitting requires a dedicated method. The best method depends on what you need and what you want to do.
|
What You Need |
What Can You Choose |
|---|---|
|
A few selected pages |
Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome |
|
Split by page count |
Adobe Acrobat, Chrome, Edge, or a dedicated tool |
|
Need to split by file size |
Adobe Acrobat or dedicated PDF software |
|
Need a quick browser-based solution |
An online PDF splitter or dedicated PDF splitter |
|
Need automation or batch processing |
A command-line PDF tool such as qpdf, or PDF splitter |
|
Need to work with confidential documents |
An offline desktop PDF splitter application |
5 Specialized Methods to Split Large PDF Files
Here is a series of methods that you can use to split a PDF file as per the needs. Go through each and check what suits you:
Method 1: Split Large PDF Using Adobe Acrobat
To split large PDF files based on the number of pages, maximum file size, or other parameters, Adobe Acrobat is a good option. Here are the steps to split a PDF in Adobe Acrobat:
- Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat, then tap on All Tools> Organize Pages.
- Choose Split and decide how you want to divide the PDF.
- Choose Number of pages, File Size, or another parameter.
- Open Output options if you want to change the destination folder or file-naming convention. Tap on Split.
The split PDF file (based on the given parameter) will be saved at your preferred location.
Note:You can also use Adobe Acrobat for Web to split PDF files without using the full desktop application.
Method 2: Split Large PDF Using Microsoft Edge
If you use Windows and only need to extract a few pages, Microsoft Edge can be another way to open and split large PDF files. Here are the steps to split a PDF using Edge:
- Open your large PDF in Microsoft Edge. Once opened, press Ctrl + P.
- Under Pages, choose Custom, enter the pages you want to keep in a new, smaller PDF.
- Once you have entered the preferred pages, tap on Print.
- Choose a location and file name for the new PDF.
The selected pages will be saved into a new PDF file. Repeat the process for other page ranges if required.
Note:Browsers like Google Chrome and Firefox can also be used to split PDF files or their custom pages (all pages, a page range, or individual pages). Do remember that this print workflow is not a full PDF-splitting solution.
Method 3: Split Large PDF via Web Services
When looking for a quick or light way to split large PDF files from browsers, online PDF splitters can be a go-to way. The general process involves:
- Open an online PDF splitting service and upload your large PDF.
- Select the pages or split points and start the splitting process.
- Once split, download the resulting PDF files in a .zip folder.
- Unzip the folder, open the PDFs, and check that the correct pages were retained.
Note: Avoid uploading confidential documents to an online PDF service. With online solutions, financial records, contracts, employee documents, customer information, legal documents, and other sensitive files, you may face issues like data exposure or loss of privacy.
Method 4: Split Large PDF Using a Command-Line Tool
If you’re comfortable or expert with using command-line tools, you can use qpdf to split PDF files. It is an open-source command-line utility to process and split large PDF files. Here are the steps to follow:
- Download the program from the official website.
- Open the Windows Command Prompt and use the `cd` command to navigate to the folder containing the software and the target PDF file.
- Go to the PDF folder location and run Command Prompt (“C:\PDF Files”)
- Once everything is set up, run the commands below as needed:
To split a large PDF into separate pages, run the command below:
qpdf –split-pages filename.pdf outputpage.pdf
qpdf will create separate PDF files from the original document, such as: outputpage1.pdf, outputpage2.pdf, etc.
To split a large PDF into smaller PDFs of a specific page size, run
qpdf –split-pages=3 filename.pdf outputpage.pdf
This will output outputpage-01-03.pdf, outputpage-04-06.pdf, and so on.
To split the entire file but instead want to extract a single specific chunk, run:
qpdf –empty –pages filename.pdf 2-5 — outputpage.pdf
To split PDF file of a precise range and break it into single-page files simultaneously, combine both methods:
qpdf input.pdf –pages filename.pdf 5-10 — –split-pages outputpage.pdf
(This extracts pages 5–10 from filename.pdf and outputs them as individual files: outputpage-05.pdf through outputpage-10.pdf)
Note: You can also use Mutool, an open-source command-line tool, when you’re comfortable using Command Prompt or a terminal and want to automate a workflow.
Method 5: Split large PDF by File Size using Dedicated PDF Splitter Tool
Now that you’ve seen several methods to split a PDF file based on page ranges or a specific page. Sometimes the number of pages is not the problem. The problem is the size of the PDF. For example, you may have a 150 MB PDF but need individual files that are smaller than a particular upload limit. Keep in mind that page count and file size are not directly proportional. A 10-page PDF containing high-resolution images can be larger than a 50-page text-based PDF.
If you’re looking to split large PDF files based on file size, by page range, even pages, odd pages, or number of pages, you don’t need to follow several separate methods. Kernel PDF Split and Merge tool is an all-in-one solution to fulfill all such needs in one place. It can effortlessly split large PDFs into smaller files and multiple PDF files within a few clicks. The text formatting, images, hyperlinks, bookmarks, comments, annotations, and other PDF elements remain the same as the original.
Don’t Confuse PDF Splitting with Extracting Pages
The terms split and extract are often used interchangeably, but they can describe different tasks. Splitting a PDF generally means dividing one document into multiple PDF files. Extracting pages means selecting particular pages and creating a new PDF containing those pages.
Example If you have a 200-page PDF and want pages 45–52 as a separate document, you are essentially extracting those pages. If you want to divide the 200-page document into four 50-page PDFs, you are splitting the PDF.
Conclusion
The process to split large PDF file is simple. Now that you know all possible options to split large PDF files. Before choosing a method, consider the size of the PDF, the type of document, whether it contains confidential information, and whether you need to preserve data such as bookmarks, forms, links, and annotations. If you need to preserve PDF structure along with all original elements, a dedicated PDF splitter tool can help.
Frequently Asked Questions
A: Yes. You can split a large PDF by page ranges, page count, file size, bookmarks, or selected pages, depending on the PDF tool you use.
A: You can use Microsoft Edge with Microsoft Print to PDF, Google Chrome, an online PDF splitter, a command-line tool such as qpdf, or dedicated PDF software.
A: Use a PDF splitter application that supports large PDF files for splitting. Also, you can choose command-line tools if you’re comfortable using them.
A: Yes. Browser-based print-to-PDF methods and some PDF utilities can be used without purchasing a dedicated PDF splitter.
A: It depends on the method you use. You should use a trusted PDF splitter tool to split a large PDF file.
A: Not exactly. Microsoft Print to PDF does not provide a dedicated PDF-splitting function. It creates a new PDF from the pages you select through the print dialog.
