How to split a PDF into separate pages
Most built-in PDF viewers can reorder or delete pages, but not split a document into separate files. Here is what does the job.
What "splitting" usually means
Splitting a PDF covers a few different jobs: pulling out one page range as its own file (say, pages 3 to 5 of a 20-page report), or breaking every page into its own separate document. Deleting pages you don't want, which some readers support, is a different operation and doesn't produce the extracted pages as their own file.
On a Mac with Preview
Preview's sidebar lets you drag individual page thumbnails out onto the desktop, which saves each dragged page as its own single-page PDF. There is no built-in way to extract a multi-page range as one file without repeating this per page, or without dragging a multi-page selection (shift-click a range first, then drag).
On Windows
The built-in PDF viewer in Edge does not support splitting or extracting pages. Print-to-PDF can print a chosen page range (in the print dialog's page range field) to a new PDF, which handles extracting one range but not breaking a document into many separate files at once.
On an iPhone or Android
Neither platform's Files app or PDF viewer supports splitting a document. A print-to-PDF with a page range, from the share sheet, works the same way as the Windows trick above for pulling out one range.
A dedicated splitter for pages or ranges
Stayput's split PDF tool extracts a specific page range, or breaks the whole document into individual single-page PDFs, in one step, directly in the browser. It works the same way on a phone or a computer and does not upload the document to do it.
Questions
Can I split a PDF without installing software?
Yes, a browser-based splitter needs no install and works in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, Android or iPhone, unlike Preview's drag-out method which is Mac-only.
What is the difference between splitting and deleting pages?
Deleting removes pages from the existing document and leaves the rest; splitting produces the removed (or selected) pages as their own separate file, keeping both parts usable.
Can I extract just one page from a PDF?
Yes, that's the simplest case of a page range, whether by dragging a single page out in Preview, printing that one page to a new PDF, or using a dedicated split tool.
Does splitting a PDF reduce its quality?
No, splitting copies the existing pages into new files without re-rendering them, so text and images stay exactly as they were.