PDF Split

Split a PDF into multiple files by page range — extract, batch, and download directly in your browser.

Drag & drop a PDF here, or click to browse

Maximum file size: 128 MB

All processing happens locally in your browser. Your file is never uploaded.

Split PDF by Chapter or Bookmark — Extract Sections from Books

Need to break a 600-page textbook, research compilation, or technical manual into one-PDF-per-chapter for note-taking, study groups, or shared reading? This free splitter uses the PDF's existing bookmark structure to extract each chapter as a standalone PDF — no upload, fully browser-side.

100% FreeNo UploadNo Sign-upBookmark-Aware

People Also Search For

split pdf by chaptersplit pdf by bookmarkextract chapters from pdfsplit textbook pdfchapter splitter pdfpdf bookmark splittersplit book pdf into chapters

How to Use

  1. Upload Book PDF: Drop the textbook, manual, or research-compendium PDF. Most professionally published PDFs include a bookmark/outline structure the splitter can use
  2. View Outline: The tool reads the PDF's bookmark tree and shows it in a checklist. Tick the chapters you want to extract (default: all chapters, sections, and subsections)
  3. Split: Each selected bookmark becomes a separate PDF output, with the chapter title preserved as the new PDF's document title (visible in the title bar and metadata)
  4. Download ZIP: All extracted chapters download as a single ZIP. Chapter files are named after their bookmark titles so 'Chapter_3_Mechanisms_of_Action.pdf' is the result

Why Choose This Tool

  • 100% Local Processing: Files are processed entirely in your browser using JavaScript — never uploaded to any server.
  • No Limits: No file count or file size restrictions. Process as many files as your device can handle.
  • No Sign-up: Free forever, no account needed, no email required. Open the page and start.
  • Private by Design: Nothing is sent to any server. Close the tab and your files are gone forever.

Common Questions

Does this work on any PDF with bookmarks?

Yes. As long as the PDF has an outline (bookmark tree), the splitter enumerates it and uses each top-level or second-level entry as a chapter boundary. Most textbooks, manuals, and research PDFs include one.

What if my PDF has no bookmarks?

The splitter falls back to 'every N pages' mode where you choose the chapter length. For better results, add bookmarks first using a dedicated PDF editor, or split by detected page count.

Are figures and tables preserved correctly per chapter?

Yes. Each chapter PDF contains all pages from its start bookmark to the next bookmark — including figures, tables, footnotes, and references. Layout is identical to the original.

Can I split only selected chapters instead of all?

Yes. The outline view is a checklist. Untick the chapters you do not want, and only those you check are extracted into the ZIP output.

Does it work on DRM-protected PDFs?

No. DRM-encrypted PDFs (e.g., from Kindle, Apple Books, or publisher-locked textbooks) cannot be split — they require authorized removal first via the PDF Unlock tool, and many publishers prohibit this in their terms.

Will the output PDFs be searchable?

Yes if the original was searchable. Text-based PDFs preserve their text layer through the split. For scanned (image-only) PDFs, run each chapter through the PDF OCR tool after splitting.

How is this different from a regular split tool?

The regular split tool requires you to specify exact page ranges. The chapter splitter reads the bookmark structure and figures out the boundaries automatically — much faster on 20+ chapter books.

Related Tools

Other Use Cases for PDF Split

← Back to PDF Split

Sponsored tools for this use case

Sponsored Best offer

PDF Agile

For deeper PDF editing beyond what a free browser tool can do, PDF Agile's editor handles text reflow and redaction in one place.

Our tool preserves layout on merge or split but doesn't offer in-place text editing — PDF Agile does.

Learn more