How to split a pdf into chapters by page range
- Step 1Find each chapter's first and last page — Open the book PDF and note the absolute page number (the position in the file, not the printed page number) where each chapter starts and ends. If the printed numbering restarts after front matter, count from the physical first page — page 1 is always the very first page of the file.
- Step 2Drop the book PDF into the tool — Use the dropzone on the PDF Split by Range tool. The file is parsed in your browser with pdf-lib; the page count and any document title appear above the options panel so you can confirm you loaded the right file.
- Step 3Type the chapter ranges into the box — Enter ranges separated by commas or semicolons:
1-24, 25-67, 68-112. Use a hyphen for start-end and a bare number for a single page. Do not add chapter names — only digits, hyphens, commas and semicolons are parsed. - Step 4Run the split — The tool creates one output PDF per token. Within each chapter the pages keep their original order (the parser sorts ascending), so a range always reads front to back.
- Step 5Download each chapter file — If there is more than one output, the files download one after another, staggered by a fraction of a second, named
<book>.split-range.1.pdf,<book>.split-range.2.pdf, and so on. Your browser may ask once whether to allow multiple downloads — approve it. - Step 6Rename and add per-chapter page numbers if needed — Rename the files to chapter titles in your file manager (the tool can't name them for you). If each chapter should restart its own page numbering, run PDF Page Numbers on each output afterwards.
How the range box is parsed
The single ranges text field is split on commas and semicolons; each resulting token becomes one output PDF. A token is either a single page or a hyphenated start-end range.
| You type | Tokens (output files) | Result |
|---|---|---|
1-24, 25-67, 68-112 | 3 tokens | Three PDFs: pages 1–24, 25–67, 68–112 |
1-24; 25-67 | 2 tokens (semicolon also separates) | Two PDFs — semicolons and commas are interchangeable as separators |
1, 2, 3 | 3 tokens | Three one-page PDFs |
1-24 | 1 token | One PDF (downloads as <name>.split-range.pdf, no number suffix) |
1 - 24 | 1 token | Spaces around the hyphen are allowed — same as 1-24 |
Chapter 1: 1-24 | depends | The word and colon are not numbers — Chapter 1 is dropped, the 1-24 part is parsed. Never type labels |
Page-number edge handling
How the parser treats unusual numbers against a document of N pages. start is clamped to at least 1; end is clamped to at most N.
| Input range (N = 180 pages) | Behaviour | Pages in output |
|---|---|---|
170-200 | End clamped to 180 | 170–180 |
0-10 | Start clamped to 1 | 1–10 |
25-25 | Single-page range | Just page 25 |
67-40 | Reversed range — start > end, nothing matches | Empty group, dropped (no file produced for this token) |
200-260 | Entirely beyond the document | Empty group, dropped |
| (blank box) | No ranges entered | Error: 'Enter at least one page range (e.g., 1-5, 6-10).' |
Tier ceilings for the source book
Limits apply to the input PDF you upload; they are checked before the split runs. Page count is the whole-document count, not per chapter.
| Tier | Max file size | Max pages |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 2 MB | 50 pages |
| Pro | 50 MB | 500 pages |
| Pro + Media | 500 MB | 2,000 pages |
| Developer | 2 GB | 10,000 pages |
Cookbook
Concrete chapter-splitting recipes showing exactly what to type and what comes out. Page numbers are absolute positions in the file.
A three-chapter manual
Chapters run 1–24, 25–67, 68–112. One run, three files.
Range box: 1-24, 25-67, 68-112 Outputs: manual.split-range.1.pdf (24 pages — Chapter 1) manual.split-range.2.pdf (43 pages — Chapter 2) manual.split-range.3.pdf (45 pages — Chapter 3)
Keep front matter with chapter one
Cover + TOC are pages 1–4; chapter 1's text starts on page 5. To bundle the front matter into the first chapter, start the first range at 1.
Range box: 1-28, 29-71 Chapter 1 file = cover, TOC, and chapter-1 text (pages 1-28) Chapter 2 file = pages 29-71 (To EXCLUDE front matter instead, start at 5: 5-28, 29-71)
Split the appendices off separately
Body is pages 1–150; appendix A is 151–162; appendix B is 163–180. Three tokens give body plus two appendix files.
Range box: 1-150, 151-162, 163-180 Outputs: book.split-range.1.pdf (body) book.split-range.2.pdf (Appendix A) book.split-range.3.pdf (Appendix B)
Single-page sections
A workbook where each numbered exercise is exactly one page. Comma-separated single pages create one PDF per exercise.
Range box: 10, 11, 12, 13 Outputs: four one-page PDFs workbook.split-range.1.pdf (page 10) workbook.split-range.2.pdf (page 11) workbook.split-range.3.pdf (page 12) workbook.split-range.4.pdf (page 13)
When you want ONE file, not many
If you actually want all selected chapters in a single combined PDF rather than separate files, this is the wrong tool — split-range always makes one file per token. Use Extract Pages instead.
Goal: pages 1-24 AND 68-112 in ONE file split-range with '1-24, 68-112' -> TWO files (not what you want) Use Extract Pages with '1-24, 68-112' -> ONE combined file /pdf-tools/pdf-extract-pages
Edge cases and what actually happens
You typed chapter names like 'Ch1: 1-24'
Labels ignoredOnly digits, hyphens, commas and semicolons are parsed. Text such as Ch1: is silently discarded and the numeric 1-24 part is still used. The output files are never named after your labels — rename them after download. Type ranges only: 1-24, 25-67.
Last range runs past the end of the book
ClampedIf you enter 170-220 on a 180-page book, the end is clamped to 180 and you get pages 170–180. No error, no blank pages. This is convenient when you don't know the exact last page, but double-check the output page count if precision matters.
A range is reversed (end before start)
Dropped67-40 matches no pages because the parser counts upward from start to end. That token produces no file. If every token you enter is reversed or out of range, the run fails with 'No valid page ranges parsed.' — re-check your start/end order.
Chapters overlap on purpose
By designA page can appear in more than one output. If a shared introduction sits on pages 1–3 and you want it at the front of two chapters, include 1-3 in both ranges: 1-24, 1-3, 25-67. Each token is evaluated independently against the source, so overlap is fine.
Book exceeds your tier's page limit
Blocked (free 50 / pro 500)The page count is checked on the whole input PDF before splitting. A 400-page book is blocked on Free (50-page limit) even though each chapter is small — the limit is on the source document, not the outputs. Upgrade, or pre-trim with Delete Pages to get under the ceiling.
Bookmarks / outline don't carry into the chapter files
Not preservedpdf-lib's copyPages copies page content but not the document outline (bookmarks). Each split chapter is a fresh PDF with no table-of-contents tree. The visible TOC pages are kept if they fall inside a range; the clickable outline is not regenerated.
Source book is encrypted or password-protected
May fail to loadThe tool loads with encryption ignored where possible, so owner-restricted files often open. A file requiring an open password that pdf-lib can't parse will fail to load for page counting. Remove protection first with Remove Password, then split.
Browser blocks the second and later downloads
Allow multipleWith several output files, the browser downloads them in quick succession and may show a one-time 'allow multiple downloads' prompt. Approve it. If you miss it, re-run or download chapters in smaller batches.
Whitespace or empty tokens in the box
ToleratedTrailing commas, doubled separators and stray spaces (1-24, , 25-67,) are trimmed and skipped. Empty tokens don't create blank files. A completely empty box returns 'Enter at least one page range'.
Frequently asked questions
What format should I use for chapter ranges?
Commas (or semicolons) separate chapters; a hyphen gives the start-end of each chapter: 1-24, 25-67, 68-112. A bare number is a single page. Type numbers only — chapter titles or labels like Chapter 1: are not understood by the parser and are dropped.
Does each chapter become a separate file?
Yes. Every comma- or semicolon-separated token becomes its own output PDF. 1-24, 25-67 produces two files. If you want all those pages combined into one file instead, use Extract Pages, which keeps everything in a single document.
Can I name the output files after my chapters?
Not in the tool. Outputs are named <book>.split-range.1.pdf, <book>.split-range.2.pdf, etc., in the order you typed the ranges. Rename them to chapter titles in your file manager after downloading.
Does splitting reduce quality?
No. Pages are copied with pdf-lib's copyPages, which moves the existing page objects into new documents without re-rendering. Text stays selectable, and images, fonts and vector graphics are byte-for-byte the same as the source.
Can I specify overlapping page ranges?
Yes. A page can appear in multiple output PDFs. Each token is matched against the source independently, so including 1-3 in two ranges puts those pages at the front of two chapter files. This is useful for a shared introduction or cover.
Will the cover page be in the first chapter?
Only if you include it. If the cover is page 1 and chapter 1's text starts on page 5, use 1-28 to bundle the cover and front matter into the first file, or 5-28 to exclude them and start at the chapter text.
What happens if my last range goes past the end of the book?
The end is clamped to the document's page count. On a 180-page book, 170-220 quietly yields pages 170–180. There's no error and no blank padding — handy when you're unsure of the exact final page.
Do the chapter bookmarks / table of contents transfer?
The clickable outline (bookmarks) does not transfer — each split file is a new PDF without an outline tree. Visible TOC pages are kept if they fall inside one of your ranges. To rebuild navigation, add page numbers per chapter after splitting.
How many chapters can I split at once?
As many tokens as you can fit in the box, limited only by your tier's page ceiling on the source document: Free up to 50 pages, Pro up to 500, Pro+Media up to 2,000. There's no separate cap on the number of output files.
Is the original book modified?
Never. The tool always builds brand-new output files and leaves your uploaded PDF untouched. Because everything runs in the browser, the source file isn't even sent anywhere — it stays in memory on your device.
My book is password-protected — can I still split it?
Owner-restricted files usually load because the tool ignores encryption when reading. A file that needs an open password to be parsed at all will fail to load. Strip the password first with Remove Password, then split the result.
What if I want every chapter to be the same number of pages?
Use Split by Fixed Size instead — you give a pages-per-chunk number and it cuts the book into equal blocks automatically, with the remainder in the last file. Split by range is for unequal, hand-chosen chapter boundaries.
Privacy first
All PDF processing runs locally in your browser using PDF-lib and pdf.js. No file is ever uploaded — only metadata counters are saved for signed-in dashboard stats.