Split PDF by Bookmarks, Free
Split a PDF by bookmarks free: every chapter or section in the outline becomes its own file, named after its bookmark. Choose top-level chapters only, or go a level deeper.
Fit Meter
Settings appear once you add a PDF.
Still going. Your own device is doing this, so a long scan or a big batch takes as long as it takes — and none of it is being uploaded.
Bytes of your files sent anywhere: 0 B · nothing leaves this tab
Every request this page makes is listed as it happens. You’ll see our own code loading, and for some formats a codec engine, but never your file going out.
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How to split a PDF by bookmarks
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Add your PDF
Drop the PDF. Its bookmarks are listed with the page each one starts on.
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Check the settings
Choose how deep to split: top-level chapters, or sections inside them too.
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Save the result
Save one PDF per bookmark, named after it — separately or as a ZIP.
Why it doesn’t upload
Books, manuals and reports split by chapter are often internal or licensed documents. Splitting them in your browser keeps them off other people’s servers.
Check it in your browser’s Network tabWorth knowing
- The PDF needs bookmarks (an outline). Scanned books usually don’t have any — split them by page ranges instead.
- Pages before the first bookmark become a “front matter” file.
- Two bookmarks on the same page produce one file, named after the first.
- Each part is named after its bookmark, but the bookmarks inside a chapter aren’t copied into its file.
Under the hood
What happens to your file
The bookmarks (the PDF outline) are read down to three levels with the page each one opens, and every chosen bookmark starts a new file named after it. The pages themselves are copied unchanged. A PDF without an outline has nothing to split on, and the tool says so.
Reference: ISO 32000-2 (PDF 2.0)
Questions
How do I split a PDF into chapters?
If the PDF has bookmarks, drop it here and press Split by bookmarks — each chapter becomes its own file named after it. Without bookmarks, use page ranges.
How do I know if my PDF has bookmarks?
Drop it here: the bookmarks are listed straight away. In most readers they also appear in a side panel called Bookmarks or Outline.
Can I split by sub-chapters?
Yes — choose Down to level 2 or level 3 to split at sections inside chapters too.
Do the split files keep their bookmarks?
No. Each file holds its chapter’s pages and is named after its bookmark, but the bookmarks inside that chapter aren’t copied into it. If you need them, split by level 2 or 3 so each section becomes a file of its own.
Can Adobe Acrobat split a PDF by bookmarks?
Acrobat Pro can, from its Organize Pages tool, splitting at top-level bookmarks. The free Acrobat Reader can’t split PDFs at all. This page does it in any browser, at any bookmark level, with no subscription.