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4 Ways to Split PDF on Mac with Ease and Speed [2025 Latest]

  • By Charlotte
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  • Updated on May 29, 2025
Introduction:
Perhaps you've been looking for a way to split PDF pages into separate files on a Mac for some time. You need to do that to make your PDF meet the size limit for uploading or sharing. Whether your PDF contains hundreds of pages or only several, you should master an effort-saving method. Are there any good Mac OS PDF splitters that let you? Find answers in this SwifDoo PDF post and see how to split a PDF on Mac step by step.
summary

How to Split a PDF on Mac with SwifDoo PDF

The SwifDoo PDF for Mac is a doable workaround that allows you to organize PDF pages in various ways. It’s convenient for you to rotate, add, and delete to separate PDF pages on Mac. The software displays all the pages in the gallery form, so you can select where you want to split. It is your go-to for most PDF editing tasks. It supports reading a PDF in split view side by side and splitting a single page into different sections.

How to split a PDF on Mac:

Step 1: Finish the SwifDoo PDF for Mac downloading and installation, and open your PDF with it;

How to Split a PDF on Mac with SwifDoo PDF 1

Step 2: Choose Page in the menu bar and preview the pages you wish to split in the PDF;

Step 3: Control-select the pages beyond which you want to form into a new PDF, and click the Delete icon;

How to Split a PDF on Mac with SwifDoo PDF 2

Step 4: Cut the selected pages off the PDF on your Mac, and go to the Save As option to save the rest as an individual PDF;

Step 5: Reopen the original PDF, select and delete some pages to export the unselected ones to the second separate PDF.

How to Use Mac Preview to Split PDF into Pages

Users can split a PDF on a Mac in Preview and take the native Preview application for most PDF manipulations. It allows you to merge PDFs and drag pages out to extract, remove, or create another PDF. You can only drag one page at a time, which can be tedious. Moreover, the program is designed with basic annotation tools for highlighting and taking notes in PDFs.

Delve into how to split a PDF file in Preview on Mac without third-party help.

Step 1: Right-click on the specific PDF file, and select Open with > Preview;

Step 2: In the thumbnails pane (View > Thumbnails), select multiple pages where you plan to split up the PDF on your Mac;

Step 3: Drag and drop the pages onto the desktop to generate a PDF;

How to Use Mac Preview to Split PDF into Pages

Step 4: Select and drag other pages to another PDF. This way, you can finally split the pages in the PDF on Mac.  

How to Split PDF Pages on Mac Using PDFs Split & Merge

The PDFs Split & Merge application in the App Store works like a charm for Mac users to split PDF pages in half or into multiple parts. Among the best PDF splitters for Mac, it can split an existing PDF into single-page PDFs at a specified interval or by custom ranges. In addition, you have options to combine and unlock PDFs. It offers free but limited services, along with in-app purchases.

Without more ado, step into how to split a PDF into multiple files on Mac using this tool.

Step 1: Install and launch the PDFs Split & Merge from your app store;

How to Split PDF Pages on Mac Using PDFs Split & Merge

Step 2: Click the Split PDF option, and open the PDF you want to split pages on your Mac;

Step 3: Click the Split drop-down button to select the splitting mode you desire;

Step 4: If you select the Split using a Custom Range method, enter the page ranges separated with commas;

Step 5: Begin breaking up the PDF into multiple PDFs in one stroke.

How to Separate Pages in PDF on Mac with PDFsam

A simple approach to separate a PDF on Mac is to open your PDF in PDFsam. PDFsam is one of the open-source PDF editors that enables users to edit PDF pages for free. It can be split by size, page number, and every "n" page. It has PDF joining, extraction, and rotation tools. The UI is outdated and doesn't allow for page previews. So you'd better decide where to split in advance.

Regarding how to split a PDF into multiple PDFs on Mac easily in PDFsam,

Step 1: Select the Split tool in the start interface;

How to Separate Pages in PDF on Mac with PDFsam

Step 2: Drag and drop the multi-page PDF into the program;

Step 3: Configure the splitting and output settings to determine how you like to divide the PDF into multiple PDFs;

Step 4: Click the lower Run button to wait for the PDF splitting on your Mac to complete.

Conclusion

Mac OS X Preview is decent for users to split a PDF into multiple files if you want something quick. However, if you’re dealing with a large PDF and need more control, third-party software such as Adobe Acrobat or PDFsam will be the best option. A dedicated splitter tool can split a PDF into chunks of pages at once. They let you apply versatile splitting methods to automate the process. If you frequently modify PDF content but perform Mac PDF splitting less often, consider using SwifDoo PDF for Mac.

FAQ

  • Q: How do I split a PDF into separate pages using Automator?
    Besides Preview, is there any other pre-installed application that can automatically split PDF pages into separate files on a Mac? Yes, that's where Automator comes into play, which is developed to automate repetitive jobs. Please note that it doesn’t allow customizing the splitting page location but only separates pages into single ones. 

    In terms of how to separate pages in a PDF on Mac using Automator:

    Step 1: Create a new blank folder named Splitted PDFs on your computer;

    Step 2: Open Automator, click Quick Action > Choose;

    Step 3: Click PDFs in the Library list and select the Split PDF action;

    Step 4: Change the Save Output to option to the Splitted PDFs folder;

    Step 5: Click File > Save to save the quick action in the Split PDF name;

    Step 6: Right-click on your multi-page PDF, choose Quick Actions > Split PDF;

    Step 7: Open the newly created file folder, and you'll see each page as a PDF.

Charlotte has been in the software industry for 8+ years. She works for AWZWARE now as a passionate writer. She is good at providing simple guides to use various video, office and entertainment software. Charlotte also recommends many other useful tools to make your work and life easier. A food lover too.

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