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To split a PDF with Python, create a new PDF and copy the pages you want into it. The PyMuPDF example below extracts a range using ordinary, 1-based page numbers; it also shows how to make one output file per page or split a document into fixed-size chunks.
Extract a page range with PyMuPDF
PyMuPDF’s Document.insert_pdf() copies pages from one PDF document into another. Create an empty destination document, insert the selected pages, then save the new file. The code uses user-facing page numbers, where the first page is page 1 and both ends of the requested range are included.
from pathlib import Path
import pymupdf
source_path = Path("input.pdf")
output_path = Path("selected-pages.pdf")
# Ordinary page numbers: both first_page and last_page are inclusive.
first_page = 3
last_page = 7
with pymupdf.open(source_path) as source:
if first_page < 1 or last_page < first_page or last_page > source.page_count:
raise ValueError("Page range is outside the document")
output = pymupdf.open()
output.insert_pdf(
source,
from_page=first_page - 1,
to_page=last_page - 1,
)
output.save(output_path)
output.close()With the example values, the output contains pages 3 through 7 of the source. The conversion subtracts one from both page numbers because PyMuPDF’s page indexes are zero-based: index 0 is the first page. The tutorial’s to_page argument includes its endpoint; for example, to_page=9 selects through the tenth page. The range check catches requests below page 1, reversed ranges, and endpoints beyond the source document’s page_count. See the PyMuPDF tutorial for the documented page-copying method.
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Write one PDF per page or per chunk
For separate page files, open the source once and create a new destination for each zero-based page index. Use a filename that includes the ordinary page number to keep the outputs distinct:
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from pathlib import Path
import pymupdf
source_path = Path("input.pdf")
output_dir = Path("split-pages")
output_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
with pymupdf.open(source_path) as source:
for index in range(source.page_count):
output = pymupdf.open()
output.insert_pdf(source, from_page=index, to_page=index)
output.save(output_dir / f"page-{index + 1}.pdf")
output.close()To split into chunks, set a chunk size and advance through the source in increments of that size. Clamp each chunk’s last page to the document’s final index so the final output can contain fewer pages than the others.
chunk_size = 10
with pymupdf.open(source_path) as source:
for start in range(0, source.page_count, chunk_size):
stop = min(start + chunk_size, source.page_count)
output = pymupdf.open()
output.insert_pdf(source, from_page=start, to_page=stop - 1)
output.save(output_dir / f"pages-{start + 1}-to-{stop}.pdf")
output.close()Here, start and stop are zero-based loop boundaries, with stop excluded. The PyMuPDF call’s to_page is inclusive, so the code passes stop - 1. The filenames use 1-based page numbers, and the stated end page is inclusive.
Use pypdf if it fits your project
pypdf offers another documented approach: append a selected page range to a PdfWriter, then write the output. Its (start, stop) tuple uses zero-based indexes and excludes stop.
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from pypdf import PdfWriter
writer = PdfWriter()
writer.append("input.pdf", pages=(2, 7)) # indexes 2 through 6
writer.write("selected-pages.pdf")This selects the third through seventh pages in ordinary page numbering. That endpoint convention differs from PyMuPDF’s inclusive to_page; when choosing between them, follow the API for the library already used in your project rather than assuming the range syntax is interchangeable. See pypdf’s page-merging documentation and PdfWriter API reference.
Quick Recap
Check the output
- Confirm that the requested start and end pages fall within the source document’s page count.
- Open the generated PDF files and verify that each contains the intended pages.
- For chunk output, check the last file separately; its page count may be smaller than the chosen chunk size.
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