SplitPDF / By bookmarks
Split PDF by bookmarks
Turn a thesis, manual or textbook into one file per chapter. SplitPDF reads the document's bookmark outline, shows you where each chapter starts, and names every file after its chapter.
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How chapter splitting decides the cuts
- The outline is read with pdf.js and each bookmark is resolved to the page it jumps to. Bookmarks that point to web links or to nothing are skipped.
- Bookmarks deeper than your chosen level are ignored, and two bookmarks on the same page count as one cut.
- Each chapter runs from its start page to the page before the next chapter. The last runs to the end.
Chapters that begin mid-page (common in exported Word files) will share that page's cut: the page goes wholly to the new chapter, because a PDF page can't be divided without cropping it.
Getting bookmarks into your own PDFs: in Word, tick Create bookmarks using: Headings under Save as PDF → Options; in LaTeX, load the hyperref package; in Google Docs, headings become bookmarks when you download as PDF.
Questions about splitting by chapter
What are PDF bookmarks?
Bookmarks (the PDF "outline") are the clickable table of contents shown in the sidebar of most PDF readers. Word, LaTeX and InDesign create them from headings when you export with that option on.
My PDF has no bookmarks. What now?
Scans and many exported files have none. Use Custom ranges with the chapter start pages from the printed table of contents, or try "Describe the split in words" and tell it where chapters start.
Can I split by sub-chapters?
Yes. Choose "Down to level 2" (or deeper) and every section bookmark starts a new file as well.
What happens to pages before the first bookmark?
Cover, copyright and contents pages before the first bookmark are saved as a separate "Front matter" file, so nothing is lost.
How are the chapter files named?
With a two-digit number and the bookmark title, e.g. "03 Methods.pdf", with characters that are illegal in file names removed.