Splitting PDF files using Automator on iMac running macOS Ventura

Hey Jon,

I created this shortcut for the Shortcuts app: Shortcuts - Split PDF into Multiple Files. Download it to add it to your shortcuts in the Shortcuts app.

When you run it, it will:

1. Prompt you to select a PDF to split.
2. Prompt you for the number of pages per output file.
3. Prompt you for the location of the output files.

I hope this is what you had in mind.

I would no longer recommend that 2017 link that you provided. The hosting software made a mess out of it, and there are better solutions now to split PDF files.

Do you want to split a PDF into individual PDF pages, or to images of those pages. Any particular output file naming convention? I have two different Shortcuts solutions for Ventura: 1) Split to PDF pages, 2) Split PDF to images, and a Zsh script that splits a PDF into SVG images.

Hello jm1,

I'm not sure what the issue is. When I tested the shortcut on a macOS Monterey Mac, it crashed too. So, I recreated the shortcut from scratch on a Monterey machine to see where it failed. Surprise: it didn't. So, I'm in the dark as to why but here is the "Monterey-built" shortcut: Shortcuts - Split PDF into Pages (Monterey).

I hope it works on your co-worker's Mac.

Hello,

Have you considered using the Shortcuts application to do this? There are 2 actions that would help you: “Split PDF” and “Make PDF.”

VikingOSX wrote:

I develop and test solutions on Sonoma, then test again on Ventura. Almost always, that is sufficient. However, the events in this thread now suggest I should also be testing on Monterey too.

In this particular case, I suspect the Quick Actions settings in the Shortcuts app to be the cause of the crash. They are ever so slightly different between macOS Monterey and macOS Sonoma (which is the version I originally used.) when you compare them side by side.

Jon Morgan1 wrote:

One tweak if I may: what would need change within the shortcut so that I can right-click a PDF and from the Quick Actions menu, choose the shortcut?

Hi jm1,

Here is the updated shortcut that will allow you to do just that: Shortcuts - Split PDF into Multiple Files. I'm not sure this link will carry all the specifics settings for the Quick Actions feature. If not, here are the settings you need to set for this shortcut in the Shortcuts app:

To change the text displayed in the Quick Actions menu, you only need to change the shortcut name in the Shortcuts app.

The usual drill. Apple making changes between operating systems.

By the way, I have a one-line Perl function that expands 1-3,4,5-10,12,14-20 into its expanded sequence of numbers. I also have a short Zsh script to do the same thing in case you need them at some future point.

Jon Morgan1 wrote:

Question, her Mac along with several others are due for OS upgrade to Ventura. Do you think this shortcut will still work post-Ventura install?

Hi jm1,

I doubt it but it’s possible. In case it fails, you can always use the “non-Monterey” link I sent previously to help your co-worker. If the link becomes obsolete (I don’t know how long iCloud keeps them), don’t hesitate to come back to this discussion to ask for a fresh link. I’d be happy to oblige.

Hi Jon,

Unfortunately, that won’t be possible on the Mac. On the iPhone and iPad, there is a way to “share” the shortcut and save it in the Files app. This is not available on the Mac for some odd reason.

This is a moot point in your case as you do not use iCloud. To see the shortcut on the iPhone, you’d need to synchronize all the shortcuts with iCloud.

All I can suggest is that you make an extra copy of the 2 shortcuts (Monterey and non-Monterey versions) in the Shortcuts app so that you have a backup in case the originals are corrupted. Also, make sure to backup the entire Mac with Time Machine.

I just created this Automator app for splitting PDFs and saving the split pages to a folder named "Test":

It works like this: