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How to split a PDF on Mac

macOS ships with Preview, which is genuinely good at some PDF work — it can rotate pages, and you can drag pages between two open documents. But Preview is fiddly for anything beyond that, it can't edit existing text, and its page-thumbnail dragging is easy to get wrong. A browser tool gives you a clearer interface for the same job, with no upload and no Acrobat subscription.

Pulling a few pages out of a long document is a common last-minute job: sending one section of a report, extracting a single receipt, or splitting a scanned batch into separate files.

Open Split PDF →

Step by step on Mac

  1. 1Open the Split PDF tool and upload your PDF.
  2. 2Choose “Extract selected pages” and click the pages you want, or pick “Split every page”.
  3. 3Click the action button and download your new PDF (or a ZIP of separate files).

Click to browse and the standard macOS file dialog opens — or just drag the PDF from Finder or your desktop straight onto the page, which is usually faster.

Where the finished file is saved on Mac

Your browser saves the result to ~/Downloads by default, and it appears in the downloads list in the toolbar. From there drag it straight into Mail, Finder or a Slack message.

What Mac can’t do on its own

Preview can rotate and reorder pages, but it cannot edit existing text, fill non-interactive forms, run OCR on a scan, or convert a document to other formats. Adobe charges a monthly fee for those; this doesn't.

FAQ

Why not just use Preview on my Mac?
Preview is fine for rotating pages or dragging thumbnails between two open PDFs. It can't edit existing text, OCR a scan, or convert formats — and its drag-based page shuffling is easy to get wrong on a long document.
Does this work on Apple Silicon Macs?
Yes. It's a web page, so it runs identically on M-series and Intel Macs, in Safari, Chrome, Arc, Firefox or Edge.
What’s the difference between extract and split every page?
“Extract selected pages” keeps only the pages you pick in one new PDF. “Split every page” turns each page into its own separate PDF, delivered as a ZIP.
Can I split out a page range, like pages 5–12?
Yes — choose “Extract selected pages” and click each page in the range. The preview thumbnails make it easy to see exactly what you’re selecting before you download.
Does splitting a PDF reduce its quality?
No. The selected pages are copied into the new file unchanged — text, images and formatting stay exactly as they were in the original.
Can I split a PDF on my phone?
Yes. The split tool runs in any modern mobile browser — pick your pages with a tap and download the result. No app needed.
Is pdfcdf free to use?
Yes. Every tool on pdfcdf is completely free, with no account, no watermarks, and no limits on how many files you process.
Are my files safe? Do they get uploaded?
Your files never leave your device. Every tool runs entirely in your browser, so your documents are processed locally and are never uploaded to a server or seen by anyone.
Do I need to create an account or sign up?
No. pdfcdf works instantly with no sign-up, no email, and no software to install — just open the tool and go.
Does it work on mobile phones and tablets?
Yes. pdfcdf runs in any modern browser on phones, tablets, Mac, Windows and Linux — nothing to download.

Ready to split a PDF on your Mac?

Open Split PDF →

Same tool, other devices

Split a PDF on iPhoneSplit a PDF on AndroidSplit a PDF on WindowsSplit a PDF on ChromebookSplit a PDF on iPad

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