Preview can delete pages from a PDF, but it cannot split a document into multiple files in one step. ModernPDF lets you define page ranges, split, and download separate files — all in your browser on your Mac.
Navigate to the Split PDF tool. No download needed.
Drag from Finder into the browser. Page thumbnails appear.
Select pages or enter ranges. Each split becomes a separate downloadable file.
Runs in any browser on macOS. No app, no admin rights required.
Page thumbnails let you see exactly what you are splitting.
Your file stays on your Mac. The split PDFs download directly to your Downloads folder.
macOS Preview is surprisingly capable for many PDF operations, but splitting a document into multiple files is not one of them. You can delete pages and save (destructively modifying the original), or drag pages from the thumbnail sidebar to the desktop one at a time. For a 50-page document that needs to become five 10-page files, Preview is painfully slow.
ModernPDF handles this in seconds: enter your ranges, click split, download all files. For Mac users who regularly split documents — lawyers breaking up discovery files, teachers distributing chapter excerpts, accountants separating quarterly sections — the browser-based approach eliminates the need for paid software like PDFsam or Acrobat.
Extract specific sections from lengthy document productions for court submission.
Split textbook chapters or course materials into individual lesson handouts.
Preview cannot split into multiple files. ModernPDF fills this gap without paid software.
Split a large report so each team member receives only their relevant portion.
Preview (built-in): Can delete pages but cannot split into multiple files. Destructive editing — modifies the original file unless you duplicate first. Dragging pages to Desktop creates individual page files, but this is tedious for large documents.
PDFsam Basic (free, requires Java): Open-source split tool with range input. Requires Java runtime, which is not pre-installed on modern Macs. The interface is functional but dated.
Adobe Acrobat Pro ($22.99/month): Full split functionality with page-level control. Expensive subscription for an operation most users need occasionally.
ModernPDF (free / $9/month Pro): Browser-based split with visual page thumbnails and flexible range input. No installation, no Java, no subscription required for basic use. Free tier covers 3 splits per day.
For Mac users who need to split PDFs more than a few times per year, having a browser-based tool eliminates the need for desktop software entirely.