Why do the page numbers in the viewer not match what I want?

PDFs have internal page numbers (1, 2, 3...) and printed page numbers (Roman numerals, chapter numbering). The tool uses internal numbers. Use thumbnail preview to visually identify the right pages.

Split PDF Online

Split PDF files online by page ranges, fixed intervals, or into individual pages. Extract the sections you need without desktop software — browser-based and private.

Common Uses for PDF Page Extraction

Share relevant sections only: Extract the specific contract clause, report section, or chapter a recipient needs — without sharing the entire document.
Reduce file size for sharing: A 200-page annual report extracted to the 15-page executive summary is far more shareable than the full document.
Create standalone documents: Extract a product data sheet from a larger catalog to create a single-product PDF for targeted marketing.
Fix scanned document batches: Extract and reorder pages from a misfed scan to correct the document without rescanning.
Separate multi-document scans: Split a batch scan containing multiple forms into individual files for separate filing.

Split and Extract Pages

How to Extract Pages from a PDF

Upload PDF: Select your PDF file — supports up to 100 MB and 500 pages.
View page thumbnails: Browse thumbnail previews of all pages — identify the page numbers you need to extract.
Enter page selection: Use standard range syntax: "5-10" for pages 5 through 10; "1,3,7" for specific pages; "1-5,12,18-20" for combined selections.
Extract to new PDF: The selected pages become a new PDF — original document is unchanged.
Download extracted PDF: Save the new file — verify it contains exactly the pages you selected.

Real-World Use Case

A procurement manager receives a 180-page RFP (Request for Proposal) and needs to distribute different sections to different department heads: technical requirements (pages 45–78) go to engineering; pricing tables (pages 110–125) go to finance; legal terms (pages 150–170) go to legal. Instead of asking everyone to navigate a 180-page document, the manager extracts three separate PDFs in under 2 minutes. Each department receives only their relevant section — reducing review time and confusion about which sections apply to them. The extraction takes less time than writing the email distributing the full document would have.

Best Practices

Use thumbnails to verify selection: Always preview pages in thumbnail view before extracting — PDF page numbers may differ from printed numbers (due to front matter, appendices).
Include context pages: When extracting a section, include the preceding section header page so the extract makes sense out of context.
Name outputs descriptively: "RFP_TechnicalSection_Pg45-78.pdf" is more useful than "split_1.pdf" for long-term document management.
Verify extraction completeness: After downloading, check the extracted PDF page count matches your expected range — off-by-one errors in page numbering are common.
Keep source document: Always retain the original unmodified PDF — extractions create new files, leaving the source intact.

Performance & Limits

Maximum input size: Up to 100 MB and 500 pages for browser-based extraction.
Processing time: Page extraction from a 200-page PDF completes in 2–5 seconds.
Page selection flexibility: Supports single pages, continuous ranges, non-consecutive selections, and combinations.
Quality preservation: Extracted pages are bit-for-bit identical to the source — no re-rendering or quality loss.
Multiple extractions: Run multiple extraction operations on the same uploaded file — no need to re-upload between operations.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Confusing PDF page numbers with printed page numbers: A PDF with a preface may have PDF page 1 = printed page "i" (Roman numerals). Use thumbnail previews to identify actual content, not assumed page numbers.
Not including headers/footers context: Extracting mid-section without including the section header page leaves the extract without context for standalone reading.
Forgetting to download before closing: Extractions exist only in browser memory — download immediately before closing or navigating away from the page.
Extracting from protected PDFs: Owner-restricted PDFs may block page extraction — check if the document opens without restrictions before attempting to extract.

Privacy & Security

Browser-local only: Page extraction runs entirely in your browser — PDF contents never reach any external server.
Sensitive document safe: Extract pages from confidential contracts, medical records, or financial documents without data exposure.
No logging: We don't record which pages you extract or what documents you upload.
Session cleared automatically: Uploaded PDFs are cleared from browser memory when you navigate away.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I extract non-consecutive pages from a PDF?

Use comma-separated page numbers or mix page numbers and ranges: "1, 5, 8" extracts pages 1, 5, and 8 as one PDF; "1-3, 7, 12-15" extracts pages 1 through 3, page 7, and pages 12 through 15 into a single combined PDF. The resulting PDF will contain those pages in the order you specified — you can even reorder them by specifying them out of sequence (e.g., "10, 5, 1" creates a reversed-order PDF). This is the same standard range syntax used in print dialogs in most applications, so it's familiar to most users.

Does extracting pages remove them from the original PDF?

No — browser-based PDF extraction creates a new PDF file containing the selected pages. The source PDF you uploaded is not modified in any way. The original file on your computer remains completely unchanged — the extraction creates a copy of the selected pages. This is different from "delete pages" functionality where you'd want to remove pages from the source. If you specifically need to remove pages from a PDF (rather than just creating an extracted copy), use a PDF editor with a "delete pages" function. With the extraction approach, you can create multiple different extracts from one source document without affecting the original.

Why do the page numbers in the viewer not match the pages I want?

PDFs have two numbering systems: internal PDF page numbers (always sequential starting from 1) and printed page numbers visible in the document content (which may start at different numbers, use Roman numerals for front matter, or restart at section boundaries). A 300-page book PDF might have pages 1–12 as Roman-numeral front matter and pages 13–300 as Arabic-numeral chapters 1–287. The extraction tool uses internal PDF page numbers (1–300) regardless of what's printed on the page. Use the thumbnail preview to visually identify which PDF pages correspond to the content you want, rather than relying on the printed page numbers visible in the document text.

Can I extract pages from a scanned PDF?

Yes — page extraction works identically for scanned PDFs (image-based) and text-based PDFs. The extraction tool treats each page as a self-contained unit regardless of whether it contains vector text or rasterized scan images. The extracted scanned pages will have the same image quality, resolution, and searchability (if OCR was applied to the original scan) as the source pages. Important: if your scanned PDF contains two physical document pages scanned side-by-side on one PDF page, extracting that page gives you both document pages together — you'd need a cropping tool to separate them further.