You have a long PDF, but you only need a few pages of it: one chapter, the signed page of a contract, the one invoice hidden in a monthly statement. Or you need the opposite: a separate file for every page. You do not need to buy software, or send a private document to a stranger's website, to do either.
What you can do in the Split tab
Open GetPlugzz PDF Tools and pick the Split tab. You open one PDF, type which pages you want, and choose one of two results:
- One PDF with those pages: a single new file that holds only the pages you picked.
- Each page as its own PDF (ZIP): one small PDF for every page, all packed into one ZIP file. A ZIP is just a folder squeezed into a single file, and your computer opens it with a double click.
Your original file is never touched. The tool always saves a new one.
How to extract pages from a PDF
- Open the tool. Go to getplugzz.com/pdf-tools and pick the Split tab. No sign-up, no install.
- Drop in your PDF. One file at a time. The tool shows its name and how many pages it has, which is handy to know before you type.
- Type the pages you want in the box under Which pages? For example
1-3, 5, 8-12. The next section explains how. - Choose the result: One PDF with those pages (the default), or Each page as its own PDF (ZIP).
- Press Extract pages. The new file downloads on its own, named
getplugzz_pages_followed by today's date, and the tool tells you how many pages it holds.
If you press the button with the box empty, the tool asks you to type which pages you want. It never guesses for you.
How to type the page numbers
- One page: just the number, like
5. - A range: two numbers with a dash between them.
8-12means pages 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. - Several parts: separate them with commas, like
1-3, 5, 8-12. The spaces do not matter.
Two details worth knowing. First, the pages come out in the order you type them, so 5, 1-3 gives you page 5 first, then pages 1, 2 and 3. That is a quick way to change the order. Second, a range written backwards, like 5-1, gives you those pages in reverse. And if you type the same page twice, it is only used once.
One PDF, or every page as its own file?
Pick One PDF with those pages when you want to send or keep a part of the document: chapter 3, the pages you have to sign, the two pages an office asked for. Pick Each page as its own PDF (ZIP) when every page has to travel alone, like a scanned stack of receipts that each go to a different person. The ZIP holds files named page_001.pdf, page_002.pdf and so on, numbered with the page's place in your original PDF.
There is no "all pages" button, so to split a whole PDF into single pages, type 1- and the last page number, for example 1-200 for a 200-page file. The tool shows the page count next to the file name.
Does splitting hurt the quality?
No. The tool copies the pages you chose into the new file as they are. It does not redraw them or turn them into pictures, so the text stays selectable and the images stay as sharp as before.
A nice side effect: a PDF with fewer pages is also a smaller file. If it is still too big to email, you can make it smaller as a next step.
Prefer to pick pages by clicking?
Open the Organize tab (see how to delete and rotate pages in a PDF), click the pages you want so they show a tick, press Keep only selected, then Save PDF. You get the same result as typing the numbers, but you see the pages while you choose.
What if something goes wrong?
The tool tells you in plain words. "This PDF only has 12 pages" means you typed a number bigger than the page count. A message that something "isn't a valid page or range" means there is a typo, such as a letter or a missing comma. "Pages start at 1" means you typed 0. And if the PDF is locked with a password, the tool cannot open it: remove the password first, then try again. Nothing is final until you press Extract pages, and your original stays as it was.
When you'd actually need this
- An email says the file is too large. Send only the pages the other person really needs.
- A contract or a form. Pull out the page to sign, or the pages to fill in, instead of sending the whole thing.
- A long scanned stack. Save each page as its own file, so each receipt or invoice can go to the right person.
- One chapter of a book or a report, for studying, or to share only that part.
- Leaving out private pages. Type the parts you want to keep, such as
1-4, 7-10to skip pages 5 and 6, then send the new file. - A different order without clicking. Type the pages in the order you want them, like
3, 1-2.
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Good to know before you start
- The numbers are positions in the file, not the page numbers printed on the paper. If a book starts with a cover and a few intro pages, "page 5" in the tool can be printed page 1. Check the page count next to the file name, and open the PDF to see which position you need.
- Blank pages are not detected or skipped. If your range includes blank pages, they come along. Remove them first in the Organize tab.
- A scanned PDF stays a scan. The pages are copied as they are, so the text is still not selectable or searchable.
- Bookmarks are not kept, and links to other pages in the file stop working. Links to websites survive. Fillable form fields may not stay fillable.
- Everything runs in your browser. A very large PDF can take a while, and a huge one can run out of memory.
FAQ
The numbers you type are positions in the file: 1 is the first page of the PDF, whatever number is printed on it. If the document has a cover or intro pages, the printed numbers are lower than the positions. Open the PDF, count to the page you need, and type that position.
No. Opening the file and building the new PDF both happen in your browser, on your own computer. Your document never goes to a server.
Yes. Separate the parts with commas, like 1-3, 5, 8-12. You can mix single pages and ranges as much as you like.
Type 1, a dash and the last page number, like 1-50, and choose Each page as its own PDF (ZIP). You get one ZIP with a small PDF for every page.
No. The pages are copied into the new file as they are, without redrawing, so the text stays selectable and the images stay sharp. Only the pages you chose are in the new file.
Not directly. The tool tells you the file is locked with a password. Remove the password first, then open the file again.
No. The tool always creates a new file and leaves your original as it was.
Yes. No account, no watermark on your file, and no limit on how many PDFs you split.
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