How to Split a PDF on a Mac Using Preview

If you need to save a few pages from a PDF as a separate file, you can use Preview, the PDF viewer included with macOS. It lets you extract a single page, a continuous range, or selected pages from different parts of a document.

This is useful when you want to share part of a report, separate a form from a larger file, or keep only the pages you need for a particular task. You can do it on your Mac without uploading the document to an online service.

Extract Pages With Preview

The usual method is to select pages in Preview’s thumbnail sidebar and drag them into a Finder folder.

1. Open the PDF in Preview. If the file opens in another app, Control-click it in Finder and choose Open With > Preview.
2. Show the page thumbnails. Choose View > Thumbnails from the menu bar.
3. Select the pages you want. Click a thumbnail to select one page. To select a range, click the first page, then hold Shift and click the last. Hold Command while clicking to select pages that are not next to each other.
4. Drag the selected thumbnails into Finder. Drop them on the Desktop or inside an open folder. This creates a new PDF containing the selected pages.
5. Open and check the new file. Confirm the page count, content, and order, then give the file a descriptive name.

Dragging pages into Finder creates a separate file and leaves the source PDF unchanged. To divide a document into several files, repeat the process for each group of pages.

Example: Save Pages 5–10 as a Separate PDF

In the thumbnail sidebar, click the fifth page. Hold Shift and click the tenth page, then drag the selection into a Finder folder.

Check the actual page content before sharing the result. A document’s printed page numbers may differ from its position in the PDF, especially if it includes a cover or table of contents.

Another Method: Duplicate the PDF and Remove Pages

If you want to keep most of a document and remove only a few pages, working from a copy may be more convenient.

1. Open the PDF in Preview and choose File > Duplicate.
2. In the copy, choose View > Thumbnails.
3. Select the pages you want to remove and press Delete.
4. Save the copy with a new name.

Make sure you are editing the duplicate before deleting pages. Open the saved file afterward to check that it contains the pages you intended to keep.

If Page Extraction Does Not Work

Start by checking where you are selecting and dropping the pages.

• Use the thumbnail sidebar. Select and drag the small page previews on the left, rather than the page in the main reading area.
• Drop into a Finder folder. Dropping pages into another PDF’s thumbnail sidebar can add them to that document. Use the Desktop or an open Finder folder to create a separate file.
• Allow large documents to load. Image-heavy PDFs may take time to display their thumbnails. Wait for the pages you need to appear before selecting them.
• Check document permissions. A password-protected or restricted PDF may require a password or an unrestricted copy from its owner. Duplicating a file does not remove those restrictions.
• Try reopening the file. If Preview stops responding, close and reopen it. If the problem continues, check whether the PDF opens correctly in another viewer.

What if “Save as PDF” Is Unavailable?

You do not need the Print dialog to extract pages with the thumbnail method. If Save as PDF is unavailable, return to the document and try selecting and dragging the pages into Finder.

An unavailable print option alone does not establish the cause. Check the document’s permissions if other operations are also blocked.

When to Use a Batch Workflow

Preview works well for occasional page extraction. It takes more manual work when you need to turn a long document into one file per page or split many documents in the same way.

For repeated tasks, a dedicated PDF utility or a command-line tool such as qpdf may be worth considering. A command-line workflow can also be run through an Automator Quick Action once the required tool is installed and configured.

Before using a batch workflow on several documents, try it on a copy of one file. Check the output folder, filenames, page order, and whether existing files could be overwritten.

If the documents contain personal or confidential information, check how the tool handles files. Preview performs the extraction locally, though files saved in a cloud-synced folder may still be synced by that service.

Common Questions

Can I split a PDF on a Mac for free?

Yes. You can use Preview to extract pages into a new PDF without buying additional software.

Can I extract pages that are not next to each other?

Yes. Hold Command while clicking the page thumbnails you want, then drag the selection into a Finder folder.

Can Preview create a separate PDF for every page?

You can drag each page out individually. For a long document, a batch splitting tool will reduce the manual work.

Does extracting pages delete them from the original PDF?

No. Dragging selected thumbnails into Finder creates a new file. Deleting pages inside Preview is a separate editing action, so make a duplicate first if you plan to use that method.

Content responsibility

The HP60 product team is responsible for this article. The publication date above identifies this content version; product behavior may change after release, so consult the linked product and support pages for current limits.