Split by Size

"Attachment too large." Gmail draws the line at 25 MB, many corporate mail servers at 10, and some government upload portals at 5 or less. When your scanned file lands on the wrong side of that line, PDFora's split by size tool divides it into sequential parts that each stay under a megabyte limit you choose. Set 10 MB and a 48 MB scan becomes five sendable pieces.

The splitting happens inside your browser, not on a server. Your PDF is never uploaded, which matters when the oversized file is a mortgage application, a patient record, or a legal exhibit. PDFora is free to use with no account, no watermarks on the output, and no restriction on how many files you split or how often.

The tool keeps pages in their original order and packs as many as possible into each part without crossing your limit. You do not need to guess where to cut; pick the number and the math is handled for you.

How to split a PDF by file size online

1. Open the Split by Size tool on getpdfora.com in your browser.
2. Add the large PDF by dragging it onto the page or selecting it from your device. It loads locally, with no upload.
3. Enter the maximum size in MB for each part, for example 10 to clear a typical corporate email limit.
4. Click Split. The tool measures pages as it goes and starts a new part just before the limit would be exceeded.
5. Review the list of generated parts and their sizes.
6. Download the pieces, numbered in order so the recipient can read them in sequence.

When to use this tool

• Emailing a 60 MB scanned property file through a mail server that rejects anything over 10 MB.
• Uploading supporting documents to a visa or government portal that caps each file at 5 MB.
• Submitting a thesis appendix to a university system with a strict per-file limit.
• Sending discovery documents to opposing counsel whose firm's email gateway silently drops large attachments.
• Sharing a high-resolution product catalog over a slow connection in smaller, resumable chunks.
• Getting an oversized insurance claim bundle under the insurer's web-form upload ceiling.

Tips for the best results

• Set your target a little under the official cap. Email encoding adds roughly a third of overhead, so aim for 18 MB parts to survive a 25 MB Gmail limit.
• If one part is still too large, the culprit is a single page that alone exceeds your limit, usually a full-page photo scan. Compress the PDF first, then split.
• Compressing before splitting often pays off twice: you may end up with fewer parts, or discover you no longer need to split at all.
• Send multiple parts across separate emails rather than attaching them all to one message, since limits usually apply to the whole message.
• Tell the recipient how many parts to expect, so a missing piece is noticed immediately rather than during a deadline.