You have a 90-page PDF and only need pages 12 through 28. Or you received a contract bundle and need to send just the signature page to someone. Splitting PDFs on Windows should be simple, but Adobe wants $20/month for the privilege.
I tested seven different methods over the past two weeks on Windows 11 – free desktop apps, browser-based workarounds, and online tools. Here is what actually works without paying anything or dealing with watermarks. If you need a full-featured free PDF editor, we have a separate roundup of the best options available right now.
Quick Comparison Table
| Tool | Type | Split by Pages | Batch Split | File Size Limit | Watermark | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PDFsam Basic | Desktop | Yes | Yes | None | No | Free |
| Microsoft Edge | Built-in | Yes (via Print) | No | None | No | Free |
| PDF24 Tools | Desktop + Online | Yes | Yes | None (desktop) | No | Free |
| ILovePDF | Online | Yes | No | 100 MB free | No | Free (limited) |
| Smallpdf | Online | Yes | No | 2 tasks/day free | No | Free (limited) |
| Sejda | Desktop + Online | Yes | Yes | 200 pages/50 MB (online) | No | Free (limited) |
| Google Chrome | Built-in | Yes (via Print) | No | None | No | Free |
1. PDFsam Basic – Best Overall Free PDF Splitter
PDFsam Basic is the tool I keep coming back to. It is open source, runs entirely offline, and does exactly what you would expect a PDF splitter to do – without the upsells that plague most “free” PDF tools.
Download it from pdfsam.org (the installer is about 45 MB). Once installed, you get four main splitting modes:
- Split by page ranges – type something like “1-5, 12-18, 30-45” and get separate files for each range
- Split after every N pages – turn a 100-page doc into twenty 5-page files
- Split by bookmarks – if the PDF has a table of contents, each chapter becomes its own file
- Split by file size – useful when you need chunks under a certain MB limit for email
I split a 400-page technical manual into individual chapters. Took about 8 seconds. No quality loss, no watermarks, no “upgrade to Pro” popups during the process. The output files keep the original formatting, bookmarks, and hyperlinks intact.
One thing worth knowing: PDFsam Basic requires Java, but it bundles its own runtime so you do not need to install Java separately. The app looks a bit dated – it uses JavaFX for the interface – but functionality is solid.
Pros
- Open source, no watermarks, no file limits
- Works completely offline
- Batch splitting with multiple modes
- Preserves PDF structure (bookmarks, links, form fields)
Cons
- Interface feels outdated
- Bundled Java runtime makes the install larger than expected
2. Microsoft Edge – Already on Your PC
Look, this is not a “real” PDF splitter. But if you need to pull out a few pages from a PDF right now and do not want to install anything, Edge handles it fine.
Here is the process:
- Right-click your PDF file, select Open with > Microsoft Edge
- Press Ctrl+P (or click the printer icon)
- Under “Printer,” select Microsoft Print to PDF
- Change “Pages” from All to the range you need (like 3-7)
- Click Print and choose where to save the new file
The obvious limitation: you can only extract one contiguous range at a time. If you need pages 1-5 AND pages 20-25 as separate files, you have to repeat the process twice. For a quick one-off extraction, though, this is the fastest path since Edge is already installed on every Windows 10 and 11 machine.
I tested this with a 150-page PDF containing images, tables, and embedded fonts. The output looked identical to the original. File sizes were proportional to the page count, which means Edge is not recompressing anything during the print process.
Pros
- Zero installation – already on your PC
- No internet connection needed
- No file size or page limits
- Output quality matches the original
Cons
- Only one page range per operation
- No batch processing at all
- Interactive form fields get flattened in the output
3. PDF24 Tools – Desktop App That Does Everything
PDF24 is a German company that somehow offers their entire PDF toolkit for free. Not freemium, not trial – actually free. I have been using PDF24 Creator (their desktop app) on and off for about a year and have never hit a paywall.
The desktop version gives you a drag-and-drop interface. Open a PDF, you see page thumbnails, and you can select pages visually, then extract them into a new file. For splitting specifically, you can:
- Split by page ranges (typed or selected visually)
- Extract every page as a separate PDF
- Split at specific page numbers
The online version at tools.pdf24.org works the same way but runs in your browser. Files are processed on their servers and deleted after one hour according to their privacy policy.
PDF24 also installs a virtual printer, so you can “print” any document to PDF from any Windows application. Honestly, if you work with PDFs regularly, the desktop version is one of the more useful free tools you can have on a Windows machine. It handles merging PDFs, compressing, converting, and about 30 other operations.
Pros
- Completely free, no limits, no watermarks
- Visual page selection with thumbnails
- Both desktop and online versions available
- Includes virtual printer and 30+ other PDF tools
Cons
- Desktop installer is about 160 MB
- Interface can feel cluttered with so many features
4. ILovePDF – Fastest Online Option
When I do not want to open a desktop app, ILovePDF is where I go. The interface loads fast, the split tool is straightforward, and free accounts get enough capacity for occasional use.
Upload your PDF (up to 100 MB on the free tier), then choose between two modes: extract specific page ranges, or split the file into fixed intervals. You can preview pages as thumbnails before deciding where to split, which is a nice touch that not every online tool offers.
Free tier limits: you get a handful of tasks per hour. I have never hit the limit during normal use, but if you are splitting 15 files in a row, you will get rate-limited. There is also a 100 MB file size cap. Paid plans start at $4/month for unlimited use.
One thing I noticed: ILovePDF compresses the output slightly. A 22 MB source PDF produced split files that totaled about 20 MB combined. The visual quality was indistinguishable, but if you need byte-perfect output, use PDFsam instead.
Pros
- Clean, fast interface
- Page preview thumbnails before splitting
- No registration required for basic use
Cons
- 100 MB file size limit on free tier
- Rate-limited after several consecutive tasks
- Slight output compression (usually unnoticeable)
5. Sejda – Best for Mixed Desktop and Online Use
Sejda offers both a desktop app and an online tool, and the free tier is generous enough for light use. The online version handles PDFs up to 200 pages or 50 MB. The desktop version removes those limits but restricts you to 3 tasks per day on the free plan.
What makes Sejda stand out is the visual editor. After uploading a PDF, you see every page laid out as thumbnails. Click between pages to add split points, then hit “Split” and download a ZIP with all the resulting files. It feels more intuitive than typing page numbers.
The desktop app (available for Windows, Mac, and Linux) works offline and handles larger files. I tested it with a 500-page scanned document – about 180 MB. It split correctly in around 12 seconds, which is reasonable for that file size.
Pros
- Visual split-point selection
- Desktop app works offline for large files
- Cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux)
Cons
- Free desktop: 3 tasks per day
- Free online: 200-page / 50 MB limit
- Pro costs $7.50/month
6. Smallpdf – Polished but Limited Free Tier
Smallpdf has probably the best-looking interface of any online PDF tool. Everything is clean, the drag-and-drop works smoothly, and the split process takes about four clicks total.
The catch: free users get 2 tasks per day. That is it. After two operations – whether splitting, merging, or converting – you are locked out until tomorrow. Pro costs $9/month.
If you only need to split one PDF right now and do not care about daily limits, Smallpdf is a fine choice. The output quality is perfect, processing is fast (a 30-page PDF splits in under 5 seconds), and you can choose to extract pages individually or by custom ranges.
They also have a desktop app for Windows that removes the daily limit for $9/month, but at that point you might as well use PDFsam for free.
Pros
- Best-in-class interface design
- Fast processing
- No watermarks on output
Cons
- Only 2 free tasks per day – the strictest limit here
- Pro pricing is steep for a single-function tool
7. Google Chrome – The Other Built-in Option
Same concept as Edge, same limitations. Open a PDF in Chrome, press Ctrl+P, select “Save as PDF” as the destination, specify a page range, and save. Chrome actually handles this slightly differently than Edge – Chrome generates slightly smaller output files in my testing, probably due to different PDF rendering internals.
When to use Chrome over Edge: if your default PDF viewer is set to Edge but you want to keep the original open while saving the split version, opening the PDF in Chrome gives you a separate workspace. Other than that, the functionality is identical.
For anything beyond basic page extraction, use one of the dedicated tools above. The browser print method is a workaround, not a feature. If you need to split PDFs on any platform, we cover cross-platform methods in our main guide.
Pros
- Available on any Windows PC with Chrome installed
- Slightly smaller output files than Edge
- No internet needed for the split itself
Cons
- Same single-range limitation as Edge
- No visual page preview
- Not a real splitting tool
How to Split a PDF Using PowerShell (Advanced)
If you are comfortable with the command line, you can split PDFs using PowerShell and the free iTextSharp library or the built-in .NET capabilities. Here is the simplest approach using the free pdftk command-line tool:
- Download pdftk from pdflabs.com and add it to your system PATH
- Open PowerShell and navigate to your PDF folder
- Run:
pdftk input.pdf cat 1-5 output pages1to5.pdf - For multiple splits:
pdftk input.pdf cat 1-10 output part1.pdfthenpdftk input.pdf cat 11-20 output part2.pdf
This is overkill for one-off tasks. But if you need to split hundreds of PDFs the same way – say, extracting page 1 from 500 invoices – a quick PowerShell loop with pdftk will finish in seconds while any GUI tool would take hours of clicking.
Which Method Should You Use?
For regular use (weekly or more): install PDFsam Basic. It is free, offline, handles batch jobs, and does not nag you. If you also need merging, compressing, and other PDF operations, PDF24 is the better all-in-one choice.
For occasional one-off splits: open the PDF in Edge, Ctrl+P, select your pages, print to PDF. Done in 15 seconds, nothing to install.
For online convenience: ILovePDF if you do not mind uploading to a server, or Sejda if you want visual page selection.
For sensitive documents: PDFsam Basic or the Edge print method. Your files stay on your machine, no internet involved.
FAQ
Can I split a PDF on Windows without installing software?
Yes. Microsoft Edge (built into every Windows 10 and 11 PC) lets you split PDFs using Print to PDF. Select your page range, choose “Microsoft Print to PDF” as the printer, and save. Online tools like ILovePDF and PDF24 also work in your browser with no install.
What is the best free PDF splitter for Windows?
PDFsam Basic. It is open source, handles batch splitting, supports page ranges and bookmark-based splitting, works offline, and has no watermarks or file limits. For an all-in-one toolkit, PDF24 is also completely free. Check our best free PDF editors guide for more options.
Does Windows have a built-in PDF splitter?
Not a dedicated one. But Edge and Chrome both offer a print-to-PDF workaround where you select a page range and “print” it to a new file. This works for extracting a contiguous set of pages but cannot handle batch operations or non-contiguous ranges in one step.
Is it safe to split PDFs online?
Services like ILovePDF, Smallpdf, and PDF24 delete uploaded files within 1-2 hours and use encrypted connections. For non-sensitive documents, they are fine. For confidential files (contracts, medical records, financial data), use a desktop tool like PDFsam or the Edge method so nothing leaves your computer.
Can I split a password-protected PDF on Windows?
If you know the password, most tools will prompt you to enter it. PDFs with only an owner/permissions password (the kind that blocks editing but allows viewing) can usually be split by PDFsam and PDF24 without entering any password. Fully encrypted PDFs that require a password to open must be unlocked first.