Split PDF by Bookmarks - Free Online Browser Tool

Cut a PDF into one file per bookmark, using the outline as the page ranges. Browser-based, nothing uploaded.

A long report usually carries a table of contents, and that table of contents is already an answer to the question a splitter asks: where does each chapter begin? Counting pages gives you arithmetic. The outline gives you the document's own idea of its structure, which is what a reader means by "chapter" and what a printed edition would have used. This tool reads that outline, works out where each bookmark lands, and cuts the document at those points: every section becomes its own PDF, named after the bookmark, delivered in one ZIP. A section runs from its bookmark to the page before the next one, so the last chapter runs to the end of the document and nothing is left behind. Pages are copied rather than re-rendered, so the text in every part stays selectable and links inside the document keep working - these are real extracts, not screenshots. Two decisions are yours. Split on the top-level bookmarks only, which is what a contents list usually means, or on every bookmark including nested ones, which cuts more finely for a document with sub-sections. And pages before the first bookmark - a cover, a contents page, a preface - can be kept as their own file, dropped, or folded into the first section. There is one honest limit. A PDF records a bookmark as a single point, not a range, so the end of each part is inferred from where the next one begins. A document with no outline at all - which is most scans, and most PDFs produced by web pages - cannot be split this way, and the tool says so instead of guessing.

This split pdf by bookmarks utility runs completely inside your web browser. Your document is opened locally and processed on your own device using JavaScript and WebAssembly, so your file is never uploaded to any server. There is no signup, no watermark and no limit on how many documents you can handle.

  • 100% client-side - files never leave your device
  • Instant processing, no upload wait
  • Works on desktop, tablet and mobile
  • Free forever, no account required

Common next steps: Extract PDF Bookmarks, Merge PDFs with Table of Contents.

How to Use the Split PDF by Bookmarks Tool

Four steps, and the whole thing runs locally on your own device.

  1. Load a PDF that has bookmarks

    Open the bookmarks panel in any reader first to check: if the document shows no contents tree, there is nothing here to split on and the tool will tell you.

  2. Choose what counts as a section

    Top-level bookmarks give chapter-sized files, which is usually what a table of contents describes. Every bookmark gives one file per sub-section as well.

  3. Decide about the front matter

    A cover or a contents page that sits before the first bookmark can become its own file, be left out, or stay with the first chapter.

  4. Download the ZIP

    One file per section, named and numbered in document order, with a small text file listing each part against the pages it covers.

Frequently Asked Questions

My PDF has no bookmarks. Why can this not split it?

Because there is nothing in the file saying where a chapter begins. A scan has no outline, and neither does most of the PDF on the web, because a page of HTML has no chapters to record. Split Every N Pages or <a href="https://www.allpdf.tech/merge-and-split-pdf/split-to-single-pages" class="seo-link">Split into Individual Pages</a> will still divide it - by count rather than by content.

How does it decide where a section ends?

A bookmark marks one page, not a range, so the end of each part is taken to be the page before the next bookmark starts. That is what makes the parts line up end to end, with nothing dropped and nothing in two files at once.

Will the text still be searchable in each part?

Yes. Pages are copied across intact rather than turned into pictures, so the text layer survives, fonts stay embedded, and links inside the document keep working.

What happens when two bookmarks point at the same page?

The second one would begin a section with no pages in it, so it is folded into the section above rather than producing an empty file. The text file that comes with the ZIP says how many were merged.

Can I choose which pages go into each file afterwards?

Yes, with Split PDF, which takes explicit ranges. This tool is for dividing a document along the lines it already draws for itself; Split PDF is for dividing it along lines you choose.