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Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali

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I added a free Split & Extract PDF tool (no sign-up, no watermark)

#showdev #webdev #productivity #splitpdf

I just added a Split & Extract Pages tool to MyPDFLabs, my free set of online PDF tools. It's for the moment when you have a long PDF and only need part of it, so I wanted to share what it does and what I focused on.

Why a split tool?

Long PDFs are awkward to share, and this comes up more often than you'd think:

  • A 120-page contract where the client only needs five pages
  • A scanned bundle that should be separate files
  • A form that accepts one page at a time
  • A big report you want to cut into chapters

Most of the tools I found wanted an account, added a watermark, or made the page selection fiddly. I wanted something simple: drop in a file, type the pages you want, and download the result.

What it does

  • Tells you the page count as soon as you upload, so you know what you're working with
  • Two modes: By Range and Extract Pages
  • Simple page syntax. Use dashes for ranges and commas to separate them, for example 1-5 or 1,3,5-8
  • No sign-up and no watermark on the core tools
  • Files up to 500MB, one file at a time
  • Automatic deletion. Uploaded files are deleted after processing

What I thought about while building it

Splitting looks trivial, but a few details matter:

  • Page input has to be forgiving. People type ranges in many ways, so the tool shows an example in the field and a short hint under it, instead of hoping users guess the format.
  • Show the page count first. If you know the file has 4 pages, you won't ask for page 10.
  • Printed page numbers and PDF page numbers often differ. A cover page or a table of contents shifts everything, so this is the most common mistake people make.
  • Splitting isn't redaction. Removing pages doesn't hide anything on the pages you keep, and I think it's worth saying that clearly.
  • Privacy matters. People split contracts, IDs and CVs, so I decided not to keep files around and not to ask for an account.

What I'd like feedback on

The site is still new, so I'd love honest opinions:

  1. Is the page range input clear, or would you prefer picking pages from thumbnails?
  2. Do you prefer typing ranges or clicking pages?
  3. Which PDF tool should I add or improve next?

You can try it here: mypdflabs.com/tools/split

Thanks for reading, and I'll reply to every comment.

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