The decision in one table
| You want | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A few pages out of many | Extract pages | Click the keepers or type 1-3, 8; one new PDF |
| Most pages, minus a few | Delete pages | Mark the unwanted ones; the rest is copied |
| Every page as its own file | Split — every page | One PDF per page, packed in a ZIP |
| Regular chunks (every 4 pages) | Split — every N pages | Statements, forms, exports with a rhythm |
| Parts under a size cap | Split — under a size | Consecutive parts each below the limit you type |
| Chapters or sections | Extract, once per section | Hand-picked ranges; see split by chapter |
| Pages in the wrong order or sideways | Organize | Reorder, rotate and delete on one board |
| Pages from several files, interleaved | Mix pages | Every page of every file on one board |
What all three have in common
They copy page content unchanged — text stays selectable, images keep their resolution — and they never modify the original file. Only the fonts, images and resources the kept pages use are written, so an extract from a heavy document is usually a fraction of its size. Form fields, bookmarks and document metadata belong to the whole document and do not travel with page copies; flatten a filled form first if its answers must stay visible.
The size-cap case
If the reason for cutting the file is a portal or mail limit, try Compress first: one smaller file is easier for the recipient than three parts, and Bindery shows the real output sizes before you choose. When the smallest candidate is still over the cap, Split under a size measures the parts from your actual file — 10 MB, 25 MB — and Extract gets a single page under even a 100 KB cap.
Very large files
A PDF over 200 MB opens in big-file mode, where Split and Extract stream the file instead of loading it into memory — the only two tools that can. Extract the pages you need, then use any tool on the result. Big-file mode slices the original, which is fast but does not carry forms, bookmarks or metadata; the tool says so.
Three worked examples
A 40-page scanned lease; the landlord wants pages 1, 2 and the signature page. Extract with the range 1-2, 40. The result is a three-page PDF, a fraction of the size, sent in seconds. Nothing else in the file is touched.
A 120-page exported statement set, four pages per statement, each client gets theirs. Split every 4 pages. Thirty numbered PDFs arrive in one ZIP, named after the original with the part number, and the badges on the board confirm the grouping before you run it.
A 60 MB report that a portal caps at 25 MB. Compress first and read the Balanced size; if it is under 25 MB you are done with one file. If not, Split under 25 MB produces parts measured from the actual file — usually two or three — and each opens on its own.
A few habits that save time
- Read the badges before splitting: every thumbnail shows which part it will land in.
- Delete blank scanner pages before anything else; they are heavy and confuse counts.
- Rotate sideways pages first so every output opens the right way up.
- Number pages after the cut, not before, unless the original numbering must be preserved — Page numbers can start at any value.