Split PDF by Text
Start a new file on every page that contains a word or phrase, like “Invoice” or “Chapter”.
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Processed in your browser — files never leave your device. How it works
How to Split a PDF by Text, Keyword or Invoice Number
Accounting systems, scanners with OCR and mail-merge tools love to produce one huge PDF: a month of invoices, every employee's payslip, or all customer statements in a single file. The documents have different lengths, so splitting by page count doesn't work — but each one starts with the same word. PDFDoco finds every page containing that word or phrase, shows you the matches, and splits the PDF there, naming each file from the text that follows. The text never leaves your browser.
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Upload your PDF
Add a combined PDF — a batch of invoices, statements, payslips or chapters. Its text is read on your device.
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Type the word that marks each start
For example "Invoice", "Chapter" or "Page 1 of". Every matching page is listed with a highlighted snippet.
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Choose where to cut and how to name
Split before or after the matching page, and optionally name each file from the text that follows the match.
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Split and download
Untick anything you don't need, then download every file in one ZIP or one at a time.
Live match preview
See every matching page and the words around each match while you type, before any file is created.
Smart file names
Name files from the text after the match — "Invoice 10234" becomes invoice-10234.pdf.
Read on your device
The text is extracted and searched in your browser. Your documents are never uploaded.
Invoices, statements and payslips
Search for the heading that tops every document — "Invoice", "Statement of account", "Payslip" — and keep "Split before" selected. Turn on file naming with one or two words after the match and each file is saved under its invoice, account or employee number, ready to attach to the right record or email to the right person.
Picking a reliable split word
The best split text appears once per document, on its first page. "Page 1 of" is a great trick for batches of letters or reports that print page numbers like "Page 1 of 3". Headings in capitals can be isolated with Match case. If the word also appears in the body text, add the next word or two ("Invoice number"), or switch on regular expressions for patterns such as a word followed by digits.
Splitting after a closing phrase
Some batches are easier to cut at the end of each document. Choose "After the matching page" and search for text that only appears on the last page, such as "Total due", "Thank you for your business" or a signature line. Each matching page then closes a file and the next page starts a new one.
Scanned documents
Text search needs real text in the PDF. Files exported from software, and scans that have been through OCR, work well. A scan without OCR is only an image of each page, so the tool will tell you no text was found. In that case, add a text layer with OCR first or, if every document is the same length, use Split by Pages instead.
Pro tip: before splitting a big batch, scan the match list for pages you didn't expect. Every snippet shows the words around the match, so a stray "invoice" in a sentence is easy to spot and fix with Match case or a longer phrase.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I split a PDF wherever a certain word appears?
Upload the PDF, type the word or phrase — for example "Invoice" — and the tool lists every page that contains it. With "Split before" each of those pages starts a new file, so a batch of 40 invoices becomes 40 PDFs, each starting at its own invoice page.
What's the difference between splitting before and after the match?
Before: the matching page is the first page of a new file — use it for words that appear at the top of each document, like "Invoice" or "Chapter". After: the matching page is the last page of a file — use it for words at the end, like "Total due" or "Signature".
Can each file be named after the invoice or order number?
Yes. Turn on "Name files from the text after the match" and choose how many words to include. If page 5 says "Invoice 10234", that file is saved as invoice-10234.pdf. Names that would repeat get -2, -3 added so nothing is overwritten.
Why does my word appear on more pages than expected?
The word might also appear in body text, such as "see the invoice below". Turn on "Whole word" and "Match case" — for example "INVOICE" in capitals often only appears in the heading — or use a longer phrase like "Invoice number". The preview updates instantly, so you can check before splitting.
Does it work on scanned PDFs?
Only if the PDF contains real text. A plain scan is just a picture of the page, so there's nothing to search; the tool will tell you if no text is found. Run the scan through an OCR app first, or use Split by Pages if every document has the same number of pages.
Can I use a pattern instead of a fixed word?
Yes. Turn on "Regular expression" to search with a pattern, such as Invoice\s+#?\d+ to match "Invoice" only when it's followed by a number. Case and whole-word options still apply.
What happens to pages before the first match?
When splitting before matches, any pages before the first match — such as a cover sheet or summary — become their own file. Untick it in the list of files if you don't need it.