Split PDF by Bookmarks
Split a PDF into one file per bookmark or chapter, each named after its bookmark title.
Select a PDF fileor drop it anywhere on this page, or paste
Opens in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Split PDF by Bookmarks, free and private
Split a PDF by bookmarks and get one file for every chapter, section or statement in it. The tool reads the bookmark list that sits in the side panel of your PDF reader, starts a new file at each bookmark and names every file after its bookmark title. A 300-page manual with 12 chapter bookmarks becomes 12 PDFs called 01-Introduction.pdf, 02-Installation.pdf and so on.
You pick how deep to split. Top level only gives one file per chapter. Down to level 2 also cuts at each section inside a chapter. Before you split, the tool lists every file it will make with its page range, so you can check the result first. The PDF is split in your browser and is never uploaded.
How to split a PDF by bookmarks
- 1
Add a PDF that has bookmarks
Press Select a PDF file or drop the PDF onto the page. The tool reads its bookmarks and works out how many files each level gives.
- 2
Choose the bookmark level to split at
Under Split at, pick Top level only for one file per chapter, or Down to level 2 or 3 for smaller parts. Each button shows how many files that level gives. Levels with no usable bookmarks are hidden.
- 3
Check the file list
The list shows each file name with its first and last page and its page count. If pages come before the first bookmark, such as a cover and a contents page, choose whether they get their own file or join the first one.
- 4
Split by bookmarks and download
Press Split by bookmarks. Several files download together in one ZIP. If the split gives a single file, it downloads as a PDF.
Why use PDFToolz for this
File names from bookmark titles
Each file is named after its bookmark, with a two-digit number in front so the files sort in reading order. Characters that Windows or macOS refuse in file names, like / \ : * ? " < > |, are removed. Accented letters, Cyrillic, Greek and other scripts are kept. Names are cut at 80 characters, on a word break.
Split by chapters or by sections
Bookmarks are often nested, with sections under each chapter. Splitting at the top level ignores the sections. Splitting down to level 2 or 3 starts a new file at every bookmark up to that depth.
Each file keeps its own bookmarks
The sections inside a chapter stay as bookmarks in that chapter's file, pointing at the right pages. The bookmark title also becomes the document title, which PDF readers show in the window title bar.
Pages copied as they are
Pages are copied, not turned into images. Text stays selectable and searchable, and fonts and images keep their full quality. The tool works without an account, a watermark or an upload.
How splitting by bookmarks decides where each file starts
A bookmark points at a page. Each file starts on the page of its bookmark and runs to the page before the next bookmark at the chosen level. The last file runs to the end of the document.
The tool sorts bookmarks by page, so a bookmark list in a different order still gives files in page order. When two bookmarks point at the same page, like a chapter and its first section, they make one file, named after the first bookmark in the list.
- Pages before the first bookmark can become their own file, called Front matter, or join the first file.
- Bookmarks that open a website or point at no page are skipped.
- Bookmarks stored as named destinations or as Go to page actions are read like ordinary ones.
When to split a PDF by chapters
Splitting by bookmarks saves typing page ranges whenever a document already marks its parts:
- Textbooks and manuals that you want to read or share one chapter at a time.
- Merged bank statements or invoices, where the merge left one bookmark per original file. Splitting at the top level gives the original files back with their names.
- Court bundles and board packs with one bookmark per exhibit or agenda item.
- Large reports that exceed an email or upload size limit as one file.
What the split files keep and drop
Page content is copied unchanged. Links that open websites keep working. Links that jump to a page in another part stop working, because that page is no longer in the same file. Fillable form fields may stop working in the parts, so fill in and flatten a form with Flatten PDF before you split it.
Document details other than the title, such as author and keywords, are not copied into the parts. Bookmark colors and bold or italic bookmark styles are not copied either.
Limits to know about
Splits happen at page boundaries. If a chapter starts halfway down a page, that page goes into the new chapter's file, and the end of the previous chapter on that page goes with it.
The tool needs bookmarks to work. If the side panel of your reader shows no bookmarks, add them first with Edit PDF Bookmarks, which can also create them from the headings in the text. To cut at page numbers you type, use Split PDF instead.
Files that block printing or copying split as normal. If the PDF asks for a password to open, remove it first with Unlock PDF.
Frequently asked questions
Add the PDF, pick the bookmark level under Split at, check the list of files and press Split by bookmarks. You get a ZIP with one PDF per bookmark, each named after its bookmark title. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no upload.
If the PDF has a bookmark for each chapter, choose Top level only and split. Each chapter becomes its own file. If it has no bookmarks, add one per chapter with Edit PDF Bookmarks, or use Split PDF and type the page ranges.
Yes. Acrobat Pro has a split by top-level bookmarks option, and this tool does the same job in your browser for free. It also splits at deeper bookmark levels and shows each file with its pages before you split.
Yes. It runs in any current browser, including Safari on Mac and iPhone and Chrome or Edge on Windows and Android. On a phone, the ZIP goes to your Files or Downloads folder.
Each file gets a two-digit number and its bookmark title, like 03-Results.pdf. Characters that file systems refuse are removed and long titles are cut at 80 characters.
Only bookmarks at the chosen level or above start a file. Bookmarks that share a page with another one make a single file. Bookmarks that open a website or point at no page are skipped.
Yes, with Keep the bookmarks inside each file ticked. Each file gets the bookmarks that point at its own pages, so a chapter file keeps its section bookmarks.
