Split by bookmarks

Turn a long report into named sections.

Choose an outline level and review every proposed page range. Sections follow page order and include any opening pages. External links and unresolved destinations are skipped; existing signatures are not preserved in the new files.

How to use Split by bookmarks

1. Open your document from your device.
2. Adjust the settings and preview the result.
3. Read text results on screen or download your file. Your original remains untouched.

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Divide a long PDF using its document outline

Bookmarks are navigation entries stored inside some PDFs. They can point to chapters, appendices, individual sections or other destinations. Split by bookmarks uses internal page destinations to create named PDF sections, saving the manual work of typing every page range. It is useful for a report that already has a well-structured outline, a training manual with chapters, or a combined reference document whose sections need to be shared separately.

A visible contents page is not necessarily a bookmark outline. The words and page numbers printed at the beginning of a document may exist only as ordinary page content. This tool reads the actual PDF outline; it does not infer chapter boundaries from typography or scan a printed table of contents. If the file has no usable internal bookmarks, use the normal page-range tools instead.

Review the proposed sections first

Open the PDF and choose a bookmark level. Level 1 represents the outermost outline entries. Nested entries appear at higher levels, often corresponding to subchapters. The panel lists every proposed output with its first and last source page. Check these ranges before creating files. A bookmark pointing to page 8 begins a section at page 8; the next section's first page determines where the previous section ends.

Sections follow ascending page order, even when the original outline lists destinations differently. Multiple bookmarks pointing to the same page are combined into one boundary using the first title encountered at that level. If the first selected bookmark begins after page 1, an Opening pages section preserves the preceding pages. The final section continues to the last page. These rules keep the whole source covered once, rather than silently dropping a cover or introduction.

External website links and unresolved destinations are skipped and counted in the planning panel. A heading that links outside the document cannot define an internal page boundary. A malformed or unusually deep outline may be rejected instead of creating unpredictable sections. Select a different level or enter manual page ranges when the outline does not express the divisions you need.

Create and check the downloads

After reviewing the plan, choose the filename prefix or suffix and create the result. Each section name includes its sequence number and bookmark title, with filename-unsafe characters replaced. Download individual files or use the combined ZIP when several outputs are ready. Your source remains untouched. Keep it separately until you have checked every exported section.

Open each result and verify the first page, last page, page count and section title. Look for chapter headings that start halfway down a page: splitting happens at page boundaries, so a single page cannot be divided between two sections using bookmarks alone. Also check whether the bookmark itself points to a cover page or to the first content page. The application follows that destination; it cannot determine the author's intended editorial boundary.

New section PDFs do not preserve the original document's certificate signatures as valid signatures. Document-level outlines, attachments and interactive behaviours may also differ in a newly assembled PDF. If those properties are essential, preserve the signed or authoritative original and consult the receiving workflow before using the sections. This tool is for organising pages, not secure redaction or metadata sanitisation. Read signature considerations and use Inspect PDF to review document structure before choosing a workflow.

Frequently asked questions

Why is a printed table of contents not detected?

A printed contents page can be ordinary text or an image. This tool requires internal PDF outline bookmarks with resolvable page destinations. It does not create bookmarks from headings.

What happens to pages before the first bookmark?

They are included in a separate Opening pages file. Review its range in the plan; no cover or introductory pages are intentionally discarded.

What happens when two bookmarks point to one page?

They define one boundary. The first title at that level is used, because creating two independent ranges at the same destination would duplicate content or produce an empty section.

Can I split at subchapters?

Yes, if the outline contains nested entries. Choose the corresponding bookmark level and inspect the proposed ranges. The selected level is used consistently across the document.

Will existing digital signatures remain valid?

No. The section outputs are newly created documents. Keep the original signed file as the authoritative copy and sign a new section separately only when your workflow requires it.