Split PDF files

The split pages feature offers a rich set of methods for extracting pages from a PDF file to separate files.

• Split into files of n pages — split into files containing n pages per file.
• Split by bookmarks — split files based on bookmark hierarchy.
• Split by page range — split individual pages and page ranges.
• Advanced splitting — odd and even, complex file naming, updating bookmarks, links and named destinations.

To open the Split File dialog:

1. Do either of the following:
• Choose Edit > Pages > Split.
• Press Shft + Ctrl + P.

Splitting into files of n pages

This method splits the open PDF document into a series of files, which contain 'n' pages in each file. For example, entering '4' would split the document into a series of new PDF files each containing four pages.

To split into 'n' pages:

1. Do either of the following:
• Choose Edit > Pages > Split.
• Press Shift + Ctrl + P.
2. Select and open the source PDF file to be split.
3. Select 'Split PDF Into files of' by checking on the radio button.
4. Enter the number of pages in which to split the PDF file.
5. Select the destination folder where the PDF files will be stored following splitting. This can be set to the same as the source folder, or in the folder of the user's choice.
6. Enter the base filename and the destination folder. The base filename will be used as a starting point in the file name of the resulting output.
7. Click 'Split' to start processing.

Split by bookmarks

This method will split a PDF file by its bookmarks. Each page that is bookmarked will be the start of a new PDF, and the title of the bookmark will be used as the name of the file.

All subsequent pages will be added to the new PDF stopping at the next bookmarked page. You will be given a chance to choose the level of bookmarks to use in the Split function.

To split by bookmarks:

1. Do either of the following:
• Choose Edit > Pages > Split.
• Press Shft + Ctrl + P
2. Verify that the PDF to be split has bookmarks.
3. Select 'By bookmarks starting at Level' as the method of splitting.
4. Browse for the destination folder where the PDF files will be stored following splitting. This can be set to the same as the source folder, or in the folder of the user's choice.
5. Click the 'Split' button to initiate processing.

Split by page range

This method of splitting will split a PDF file into smaller PDF files containing one or more pages. This method gives you the most advanced splitting techniques, including the ability to split based on odd and even pages, the ability to reverse the order of pages, and the ability to merge and combine complex page ranges into new PDF files.

To split by page range:

1. Do either of the following:
• Choose Edit > Pages > Split.
• Press Shft + Ctrl + P.
2. Select Split PDF 'by page range'.
3. Select the destination folder where the PDF files will be stored following splitting. This can be set to the same as the source folder, or in the folder of the user's choice.
4. Enter the page ranges you want to split into each file. Page ranges should be separated by commas and semicolons used to separate files. (See the list below for details instructions.)
5. Enter the base filename for the split process, and then specify the destination to save the files to. The base filename will be appended to the resulting smaller PDF files after the split process.
6. Click the 'Split' button to initiate processing.

Split by page parameters

Below are explanations and examples of the parameters you can use for advanced page range splitting.

Parameter: ";" (Semicolon) /Function: File Separator

• "1-20; 21-40" would create two new PDFs — one containing pages 1-20, the other containing pages 21-40.

Parameter: "-" (Hyphen) /Function: From/To

• "1-5" would extract pages 1 through 5 into a new PDF. "5-1" would extract pages 5 through 1 into a new PDF (reverse order is + only).

Parameter: "," (Comma) /Function: Page separator

• "1-20, 30-40" would create a single PDF containing 1-20 and 30-40.

Parameter: "odd" (Odd only) /Function: Odd page

• "1-20 odd" would create a single PDF containing only the odd pages within the range of 1-20.

Parameter: "1-20 even" (Even only) /Function: Even page

• "1-20 even" would create a single PDF containing only the even pages within the range of 1-20.

Split by pages parameters example:

An example string is shown below, inverted commas ("") are for demonstration purposes only.

• "1-20 odd, 21-40 even, 41-45m 50; 45-41, 40-21 even, 20-1 odd"

The example string would perform the following:

1. Create one PDF containing the following (in this order):
• All odd pages from 1-20.
• All even pages from 21-40.
• Pages 41-45.
• Page 50.
2. Create a second PDF containing the following (in this order):
• Page 50.
• Pages 45-41 (reverse order).
• All even pages from 40-21 (reverse order).
• All odd pages from 20-1 (reverse order).

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