Drop a PDF here or click to upload
Split a PDF at its bookmarks (outline)
Or drop files anywhere on this page. Files are processed in your browser and never uploaded.
How to split a PDF by bookmarks
Split a long PDF into one file per chapter or section, using the bookmarks (outline) already in the document. Each file is named after its bookmark.
Add your PDF
Drag the PDF onto the upload box, click to choose it, or import it from Google Drive. A password-protected file asks for its password and is unlocked in your browser.
Pick where to split
The bookmarks are listed with one row per output file and its page range. Set Bookmark level to 1 for chapters, or a deeper level to split at sections too. Type into Contains text to split only at bookmarks with that word in the title. Untick any rows you don't need.
Fine-tune the files
Open More options for the rest. "Include extra page at the end" adds the page where the next bookmark starts, for chapters that run onto it. "Keep pages before the first bookmark" saves the cover and contents as a separate file. Each file keeps its own bookmarks unless you tick "Discard bookmarks", and "Output file names" sets a naming pattern.
Split and download
Click the Split button in the header. The results screen lets you preview each file, download them all as a ZIP, save to Google Drive, open a file in another tool, or delete the files.
PDFs without bookmarks
If the document has no outline, the page shows "No bookmarks found". Use Split by Text to split where a heading appears, or Split PDF to split by page numbers.
Keep working with the parts
The results screen links to related tools. For example, merge a few chapters back together, or compress a part before sending it.
What ends up in each chapter file
How the list of files is worked out
The tool collects every bookmark down to the level you chose and sorts them by the page they point to, not by their position in the sidebar. That matters in documents assembled from several sources, where the outline is sometimes out of order. An "Appendix" entry listed near the top but pointing to page 300 still produces a file that starts at page 300, in the right place in the sequence.
A bookmark that's only a folder, with child entries but no page of its own, doesn't start a file. Its children still do, as long as the level you chose reaches them. If your chapters sit under folder entries like "Part II", set "Bookmark level" to 2, or the chapters won't get files of their own.
Unticking a row doesn't fold its pages into the file before it. Those pages are simply left out of the download. If you want two short chapters in one file, keep both rows and combine the results afterwards, or use "Page ranges" in Split PDF for that pair.
What each file keeps, and what it loses
Each file is a new PDF built from copies of its pages. The text, images, fonts, comments and web links on those pages come along unchanged. With bookmarks kept, a file gets the part of the outline that points into it. The entries start collapsed and still jump to the same spot on the page.
A few things belong to the document as a whole rather than to any page, and those don't carry over:
- The title and author shown in a reader's document properties. The new files have none, so set them with Edit metadata if the files are going out to other people.
- Page labels. A book whose sidebar shows "xii" or "87" will show 1, 2, 3 in each part. Numbers printed on the pages themselves don't change.
- Fillable form fields. The boxes stay visible, but most readers won't let you type in them any more. Fill the form first, or turn it into fixed content with Flatten PDF before splitting.
- Links that jump to another part of the document, such as a contents page or a "see chapter 9" cross-reference, usually stop working once the target is in a different file.
Putting chapters back together
Files are numbered from 01 so they sort in reading order. To rebuild a shorter edition from a few chapters, add them to Merge PDF, use "Sort" A to Z, and pick "Keep all, under one entry for each file" under "Bookmarks". Each chapter then gets a top-level entry with its own sections underneath.
If one chapter is still too large to send, split that file again with Split by size, or shrink its images with Compress PDF. For a single chapter you already know the pages of, Extract pages does the same job with one file and no list to untick.
Features
- Splits a PDF into separate files at its existing bookmarks, one file per chapter or section.
- The PDF is processed in your browser. It is not uploaded to a server.
- No need to look up where each chapter starts. The page ranges come from the bookmarks.
- Useful for breaking long e-books, manuals and reports into separate chapters.
- Free. No software to install and no account required.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a file size limit?
There is no fixed limit, because the file is processed in your browser rather than on a server.
Does it work on phones and tablets?
Yes. It works in current browsers on phones and tablets.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. The PDF is split on your device, in the browser, and is never sent to a server.
