How to Split a PDF, Rotate, Number and Watermark Pages (Free)

To split a PDF, open it in a PDF splitter, choose which pages go into each new file (every page, groups of N pages or ranges such as 1-5, 8) and download the results. Rotating, reordering, deleting, numbering and watermarking pages work the same way: load the file, set the option, save a new copy.

Try it free: PDF Splitter Free to use, no account needed.

Below you'll find how to split a PDF, rotate it, add page numbers and add a watermark, with free browser tools and with software you already have: Preview on a Mac and the Edge or Chrome print dialog.

Quick reference: which tool for which job

All five of our tools process the file with JavaScript in your browser, so the PDF is never uploaded to a server.

How to split a PDF

Split or extract pages with the PDF Splitter

1. Open the PDF Splitter and drop your file on the page.
2. Pick a Split Mode:
   • Extract all pages makes one PDF per page.
   • Fixed groups makes a new file every N pages. Set Pages per group.
   • Custom ranges makes one file per range you type, such as 1-5, 8, 11-13.
3. Change the Output filename if you like, then select Split PDF.

One result downloads as a plain PDF. Two or more come in a single ZIP file, named like report_page_1.pdf, report_part_1.pdf or report_range_1.pdf, depending on the mode.

Two examples:

• A 10-page file with 3 pages per group gives 4 files: pages 1–3, 4–6, 7–9 and page 10 on its own.
• On a 12-page file, the ranges 1-5, 8, 11-13 give 3 files: pages 1–5 (5 pages), page 8, and pages 11–12. Page 13 doesn't exist, so it is skipped. If no range fits the document, nothing downloads and a message tells you which page numbers are valid.

This is how to extract pages from a PDF: a single range such as 3-7 downloads as one 5-page PDF. Keep in mind that every comma starts a new file, so 2, 5, 9 produces three one-page PDFs, not one. To pull scattered pages into a single file, use Organize PDF (below) and delete the pages you don't need.

Extract pages with the Edge or Chrome print dialog

Any PDF that opens in your browser can be printed to a new PDF holding only some pages:

1. Open the PDF in Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome.
2. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Command + P (Mac).
3. Choose Save as PDF as the printer (Edge) or destination (Chrome).
4. Under Pages, choose Custom and type the pages, for example 3-7 or 3, 6, 8.
5. Select Save and pick a folder.

Microsoft lists the page options in Print in Microsoft Edge. Unlike the splitter, 3, 6, 8 ends up in one file here. The catch: printing rebuilds the document as a printout, so links, bookmarks and form fields may not survive.

Extract pages in Preview on a Mac

Open the PDF in Preview, choose View > Thumbnails and drag one or more thumbnails from the sidebar to the desktop. Preview creates a new PDF from them and leaves the original alone.

How to rotate a PDF, reorder and delete pages

With Organize PDF

1. Open Organize PDF and drop your file. It renders a thumbnail for every page, which takes longer for long documents.
2. Reorder: drag thumbnails into the order you want. The number on each thumbnail shows its new position.
3. Rotate: select the rotate button under a page. Each click turns it a further 90° clockwise, on top of any rotation the page already has, so three clicks equal a quarter turn to the left (270°).
4. Delete: select the trash button under a page.
5. Select Export PDF. The file downloads as the original name plus _organized, for example scan_organized.pdf.

With a mouse, the buttons appear when you point at a page; on touch screens they are always visible. Rotation is set page by page, so for a long scan that is entirely sideways, an app that rotates many pages at once is quicker. Password-protected PDFs usually won't open, so remove the password first.

In Preview on a Mac

Apple's guide Add, delete or move PDF pages in Preview has the details:

• Rotate: click the Rotate Left button. To rotate right, hold Option and click it. To rotate several pages at once, choose View > Thumbnails or View > Contact Sheet, select the pages, then click the button.
• Reorder: in thumbnail or contact sheet view, drag pages to their new place.
• Delete: select the pages and press the Delete key, or choose Edit > Delete. Annotations on those pages go with them.
• Save a copy: choose File > Export and pick PDF as the format. If you saved over the original by mistake, File > Revert To brings back an earlier version.

How to add page numbers to a PDF

With the PDF Page Numberer

1. Open the PDF Page Numberer and drop your PDF.
2. In Number Format, keep the default Page {n} of {total} or write your own. {n} becomes the page number and {total} the page count, so on page 7 of a 24-page file the default prints "Page 7 of 24", and {n} / {total} prints "7 / 24".
3. Choose a Position: top or bottom, left, center or right (six in total; the default is bottom right).
4. Set the font (Helvetica, Times Roman or Courier), a size from 6 to 100 pt (default 12), the text color and the Margin from 0 to 200 pt. The default margin of 30 pt is 30 ÷ 72 = 0.42 inch, or about 10.6 mm, from the page edges.
5. Check the Visual Preview, then select Add Page Numbers. The copy downloads with _numbered added to its name.

The numbers are real text, not an image. Two limits: every page is numbered, starting at 1 on the first page, and the three standard PDF fonts only cover Latin characters, so "Seite {n}" works but Cyrillic or Chinese text does not.

Skipping a cover page: split the file with the custom ranges 1, 2-24 (for a 24-page document). You get the cover and a 23-page file. Number the 23-page file, then combine the two with Merge PDF, cover first. The page after the cover now reads "Page 1 of 23". Merge PDF joins whole files in the order you drag them into and can't open password-protected ones.

Other free ways to number pages

If you still have the original Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice file, add page numbers there and export the PDF again. Word and LibreOffice, for example, can leave the first page unnumbered or use Roman numerals, which a tool that stamps numbers onto a finished PDF can't.

How to add a watermark to a PDF

With the PDF Watermark tool

1. Open PDF Watermark and drop your PDF.
2. Type the Watermark Text. The default is CONFIDENTIAL; DRAFT, COPY or a company name are common alternatives.
3. Pick a Layout Style: Centered puts one mark in the middle of each page, and Tiled Pattern repeats it across the whole page.
4. Adjust Rotation (−180° to 180°, default −45°), Opacity (0 to 100% in 5% steps, default 30%), the font, a size from 12 to 200 pt (default 48) and the color.
5. Select Add Watermark. The copy downloads with _watermarked added to its name; the original is not changed.

Tiled Pattern places a copy of the text every 200 points across and up the page. On an A4 page (595 × 842 pt) that is 4 columns × 6 rows = 24 copies, and on US Letter (612 × 792 pt) 5 × 5 = 25, with the outer ones partly off the page. Tiling covers the whole sheet and is harder to crop out than a single stamp.

The tool adds text only, not a logo image, and the same Latin-character limit applies. A visible watermark marks a draft clearly but doesn't lock the file: someone with a PDF editor can still try to remove it.

In which order should you edit PDF pages?

When one document needs several of these steps, this order saves rework:

1. Merge separate files into one.
2. Organize: delete, reorder and rotate pages.
3. Number the pages, now that their final order is fixed.
4. Watermark the finished document.
5. Split last, if you need to send parts of it separately.

Numbers follow the pages' position in the file, so deleting or moving pages afterwards leaves gaps or a wrong order. Both the numberer and the watermark tool also draw on the page's unrotated layout: on a page that carries a rotation, including one turned in Organize PDF, the text turns with it and can appear sideways, so check rotated pages.

Browser tools, desktop apps or online services?

Browser-based tools like ours run in any modern browser and keep the file on your device, but they use your device's memory, so very large files can be slow. Preview comes free with every Mac and extracts, rotates, reorders and deletes pages. Online services such as Adobe Acrobat's web tools do all of these jobs too, but they process your file on the provider's servers, so check their terms before uploading anything confidential.

FAQ

How do I split a PDF into separate pages for free?

Drop the file in the PDF Splitter, keep Extract all pages and select Split PDF. You get one PDF per page in a single ZIP file.

How do I extract only certain pages from a PDF?

Type the range in the splitter's Custom ranges mode, for example 3-7, to get one PDF with those pages. For scattered pages in one file, print the PDF to Save as PDF in Edge or Chrome with a custom page list such as 3, 6, 8, or delete the other pages in Organize PDF.

How do I rotate a PDF and save it permanently?

Rotate the pages in Organize PDF and select Export PDF, or rotate them in Preview and export the file. The saved file stores the rotation, so it opens the right way up in any PDF reader.

Can I add page numbers but skip the first page?

Not in one step, because the page numberer numbers every page from 1. Split off the cover, number the rest and merge the two files again, as described above.

Are my files uploaded when I use these tools?

No. All five tools process the file in your browser with JavaScript and save the result straight to your device.

Try it free: PDF Splitter Free to use, no account needed.