Split a PDF by Text

How it works

How does the text marker work?

Type a word or phrase that marks the start of a new section — e.g. "Chapter" or "Invoice #". Every page where that text appears (after the first page) starts a new file.

What if the marker text doesn't appear anywhere?

You'll get back the whole PDF as a single file, since no split points were found.

Is the text marker case-sensitive?

No — matching is case-insensitive, so "Chapter", "chapter", and "CHAPTER" all count as the same marker. You don't need to match the capitalization used in the PDF.

Can I use more than one marker phrase at once?

Currently one marker phrase per run — for multiple different markers, run the tool again on the appropriate file for each pass.

What's a good use case for this tool?

Splitting a batch-scanned stack of invoices or forms where each new document starts with a recognizable label, without needing bookmarks already in place.

Does the marker's position on the page matter?

No — it can be anywhere on the page, since we check each page's full extracted text for a match, not just the top or a specific text box. One thing to watch for: if your marker also shows up in a running header or footer that repeats on every page, you'll get a new one-page file for each page. Pick a marker that only appears where a section actually starts.

Will this work on a scanned PDF?

Only if it has a text layer. A scanned page is just an image — there's nothing to search until it has real text underneath. Run it through our OCR PDF tool first to add a text layer, then come back and split it with your marker.