Home › PDF utility › Split by Text
Split by Text
Split by Text divides a document whenever a keyword you specify appears on a page, which turns a continuously scanned bundle into separate files per invoice, letter or record. It reads the PDF text layer with PDF.js to find the boundaries.
How to use Split by Text
- Upload the multi-document scan or bundle.
- Type the keyword that marks the start of a new document, for example 'Invoice' or a reference prefix.
- Run the split; a new file is produced for each block between matches.
Where Split by Text is useful
- Splitting a bulk scan of invoices into one file per invoice.
- Separating letters by client name when each letter begins with it.
- Cutting a log or statement export at a repeating record header.
Formats, algorithms and limits
Boundaries are detected by scanning each page's text for your keyword; a page where the keyword appears starts a new output document. Matching is case-insensitive and works on the embedded text layer, so scanned images without text cannot be split this way.
Troubleshooting and honest limits
- Use a keyword that appears exactly once per document, such as an invoice number prefix or a heading.
- Test the keyword on a couple of pages first — a word that also appears inside body copy will over-split the file.
- If keyword splitting produces too many parts, switch to Split by Pages and split at a known page interval.
Frequently asked questions
Is the keyword match case sensitive?
No. Matching ignores case, so 'invoice' and 'Invoice' both trigger a new document boundary.
Can I use a keyword that spans two lines?
No. Only what appears within a single page's text run is matched, so keep the keyword short and on one line in the source document.
Will this work on scanned pages?
Only if those pages have a text layer, meaning they were produced by OCR or exported digitally. Pure image scans have no text to match.
Are the pages before the first keyword kept?
Yes. Anything preceding the first match becomes its own part, so no page is lost.
Related tools
Page written and reviewed by the FreeConvertio engineering team on 2026-10-14. Split by Text runs entirely in your browser — no uploads, no account and no daily limits.