This tutorial shows how to split a PDF into multiple PDFs in Adobe Acrobat.
[Typewriter sounds]
Hello, my name is Erin.
[Chime sound]
In a recent tutorial, we extracted pages from a PDF in Adobe Acrobat.
Today, we’re going to split a PDF into multiple PDFs in Adobe Acrobat.
You may be wondering, “what is the difference between splitting PDFs and extracting pages?”
The split option lets you create new PDFs according to the number of pages, file size, or top-level bookmarks in the original PDF.
This option is best for segmenting long documents, such as saving chapters as individual files.
The extract pages option lets you save individual pages, page ranges, even or odd pages,
or landscape or portrait pages as separate PDFs.
This option is best when you need to separate a small number of specific pages from a longer document.
Today I’ll be using Adobe Acrobat DC.
These steps also apply to Adobe Acrobat 2020 and Adobe Acrobat 2017.
In addition, the steps are similar for PC and Mac users.
The few differences between the two systems are explained within the individual steps.
Adobe’s free PDF display software, Acrobat Reader, doesn’t offer a way to split PDFs.
To begin, open the PDF that you want to split.
And then select the Tools tab.
Next, select Organize Pages in the Tools Center.
Followed by Split in the Organize Pages toolbar.
Now, select an option from the Split by menu.
You can select number of pages, file size, or top-level bookmarks.
If you selected number of pages or file size, enter the number of pages or megabytes into the secondary menu.
Now, select Output Options.
When the Output Options dialog box appears, you can select the folder where you want to save your new PDFs.
"The Same Folder Selected at Start" is the location of the PDF you are splitting.
"A Folder on My Computer" lets you select another folder or accessible cloud storage such as OneDrive.
If you choose this option, select the Browse button on a PC or the Choose button on a Mac.
And then find and select the folder in the Select Folder for Output Files dialog box
and select the Select Folder button on a PC
or the Choose button on a Mac.
Next, select your file labeling options.
The default option will place an underscore followed by the label “Part” and the part number after the original file name,
as shown in this example.
Now, ensure that "Do not overwrite existing files" is checked to prevent accidentally deleting the original PDF.
And then select the OK button.
Followed by the blue Split button.
Lastly, select the OK button in the dialog box stating that your PDF was successfully split.
Your new PDFs should now appear in the location you selected in the Output Options dialog box.
I chose my Desktop, so when I navigate there, I do see the new files.
I have created many other videos about Adobe Acrobat
including “Three Ways to Create Bookmarks in PDFs with Adobe Acrobat,”
and “How to Combine Files into One PDF in Adobe Acrobat.”
Please see the complete list in the playlist titled “How to Use Adobe Acrobat,”
which is linked in the description box below.
The companion blog post for this video showing all the steps we just performed
appears on erinwrightwriting.com,
along with all my other document software tutorials to help you succeed at work and in the classroom.
Feel free to leave me a comment if there’s a specific topic that you would like me to talk about in the future.
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And give this video a thumbs-up if you found it helpful.
Thank you so much for watching!
[Typewriter sounds]