How to Split a PDF
Splitting is just pulling pages out of one PDF into new files — every page on its own, or one range you pick. Tested 2 November 2026: a 6-page document split with poppler's pdfseparate into 6 one-page files, each confirmed at 1 page by pdfinfo, and pages 2–3 extracted as a 2-file range. Clioos does not offer a PDF splitting tool — this guide teaches the free offline method.
At a glance
- Clioos has no PDF splitting tool. The method below runs on your own computer with free, open-source poppler — no upload, no account.
- Every page out = one file: a 6-page PDF gives 6 one-page PDFs.
- A page range is one command: pages 2–3 out of 6, nothing else touched.
- Splitting doesn't shrink the total: the 6 parts together (8,139 bytes) were larger than the original (3,931 bytes), because shared objects repeat in each file.
- Password-protected PDFs must be unlocked first.
Steps
- Install poppler: on Linux it is usually already there (
pdfseparate -v); on macOSbrew install poppler. - Split every page:
pdfseparate input.pdf part-%d.pdf— page 1 becomes part-1.pdf, page 2 becomes part-2.pdf, and so on. - Check the result:
pdfinfo part-1.pdfreports 1 page. On the test file, all 6 outputs reported exactly 1 page each. - For one range only:
pdfseparate -f 2 -l 3 input.pdf range-%d.pdf— on the test file this produced exactly 2 files, range-2.pdf and range-3.pdf, 1 page each. - Alternative with Python: pypdf can pull a page range into one file (script in the section below) — useful when you want pages 1–2 as a single 2-page PDF rather than two files.
Worked example (tested 2 November 2026)
Test file: a 6-page A4 document, one chapter per page (3,931 bytes). Both tools ran on the same file.
| Method | Output | Output sizes | Pages check |
|---|---|---|---|
| pdfseparate, every page | 6 files (part-1 to part-6) | 1,359 / 1,356 / 1,356 / 1,356 / 1,356 / 1,356 bytes | 1 page each (pdfinfo) |
| pdfseparate -f 2 -l 3 | 2 files (range-2, range-3) | 1,356 / 1,358 bytes | 1 page each (pdfinfo) |
| pypdf, pages 1–2 as one file | 1 file (split-first2.pdf) | 1,485 bytes | 2 pages |
Note the total: the 6 one-page parts sum to 8,139 bytes, more than double the 3,931-byte original. Splitting repeats shared objects (fonts, document info) in every file, so it is not a way to save space — if the goal is a smaller file, compress afterwards, which is a separate step.
The pypdf script (copy and run)
This is the exact script used for the range-as-one-file test: pages 1–2 of a 6-page file into a single 2-page PDF. Change the slice to pick any range (pages are 0-based in the script: pages[1:3] would be pages 2–3).
from pypdf import PdfReader, PdfWriter
reader = PdfReader("input.pdf")
writer = PdfWriter()
for page in reader.pages[:2]:
writer.add_page(page)
with open("first2.pdf", "wb") as fh:
writer.write(fh)
print("wrote first2.pdf:", len(reader.pages[:2]), "pages")What it can't do
- No Clioos tool for this: Clioos does not offer PDF splitting. PDF Probe converts tables to Excel; it does not split, merge or compress PDFs. The method above is the free offline route.
- It doesn't shrink the total: the parts summed to 8,139 bytes against a 3,931-byte original. Splitting is for organising pages, not saving space.
- Bookmarks may drop: per-page splits don't carry over the document outline. If bookmarks matter, check the output before you send it.
- Scanned pages stay scans: splitting doesn't OCR anything. A split scan is still a picture, not searchable text.
- Locked PDFs: a password-protected PDF must be unlocked first; pdfseparate can't open it on its own.
- It doesn't edit content: splitting moves whole pages. To change text inside a page, you need an editor, not a splitter.
Free alternatives, honestly compared
- PDFsam Basic (free, open source, documented): a desktop app with a Split module — split every page, or by page range, with a visual interface. Best no-code option if you split often.
- Browser tools (iLovePDF, Smallpdf, documented): upload, pick pages, download a ZIP. No install, but your file leaves your machine and free tiers have a daily limit — fine for one-offs, not for sensitive documents.
- Reorder after splitting: split first, then merge the pieces in the order you want with the method in our merge guide — that combination covers most page-reordering jobs.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free to split a PDF?
Yes — pdfseparate, pypdf and PDFsam Basic are all free and open source.
Can I split out just one page?
Yes: pdfseparate -f 5 -l 5 input.pdf out-%d.pdf extracts page 5 alone.
Will splitting make my files smaller?
Each part is smaller than the whole, but the parts together are larger than the original — shared objects repeat in every file. To shrink a file, compress it instead.
Can I split a PDF on my phone?
Browser tools work on phones, but they upload your files. For sensitive documents, split on a computer with an offline tool.
What if the PDF is password-protected?
Unlock it first with the password. Splitters can't open a password-protected file on their own.
Related guides: How to merge PDF files · How to compress a PDF · How to convert PDF to PNG · All guides · Tool: PDF Probe