To split a 500-page discovery PDF into exhibits on a MacBook, map each exhibit's Bates range to the PDF's internal page numbers, then extract each range into a separate PDF using a tool such as Apple Preview, qpdf, Adobe Acrobat Pro, or a local-only browser split tool.
Discovery productions usually arrive as one massive, Bates-stamped PDF, but a motion, brief, or trial binder needs individual exhibit files. The workflow below is designed for a MacBook and confidential legal documents: it keeps the file on the device wherever possible, computes page ranges correctly, and produces exhibit PDFs you can verify before filing.
What You Will Need
- A MacBook running a recent version of macOS, with Safari or Chrome.
- The 500-page discovery PDF (Bates-stamped if available).
- The exhibit index, privilege log, or cover letter that identifies which Bates ranges belong to which exhibit — usually in the first five pages of the same PDF.
- An output folder, such as
~/Documents/Discovery_Exhibits/. - One split tool (choose in Step 3): Apple Preview, qpdf, Adobe Acrobat Pro, or a local-only browser splitter.
- A file-naming convention approved by your supervising attorney, e.g.,
Exhibit A - Smith Contract.pdf.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Determine the Bates-to-PDF page offset from the exhibit index
Open the 500-page PDF in Apple Preview and choose View > Thumbnails. Scroll to the exhibit index and find the first exhibit listed. Note both the Bates number printed on the page and the PDF page number shown in the sidebar.
The PDF page number and the Bates number are almost never the same. For example, if Bates number SMITH000123 appears on PDF page 127, the offset is +4: each Bates number needs +4 added to become the PDF page number. If the exhibit index is PDF page 1 and SMITH000001 is also on PDF page 1, the offset is 0.
Watch out: never type a Bates number directly into the split tool. Split tools only understand PDF page numbers, so write the offset down and apply it in every calculation.
Step 2. Build the exhibit page-range plan
Create a table with one row per exhibit before touching the split tool. PDF page start = Bates start + offset; PDF page end = Bates end + offset.
| Exhibit | Bates start | Bates end | PDF pages (offset +4) | Page count | Output filename |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | SMITH000123 | SMITH000145 | 127–149 | 23 | Exhibit A - Smith Contract.pdf |
| B | SMITH000146 | SMITH000220 | 150–224 | 75 | Exhibit B - Correspondence.pdf |
| C | SMITH000300 | SMITH000310 | 304–314 | 11 | Exhibit C - Demand Letter.pdf |
The page count equals (Bates end − Bates start + 1) = (PDF end − PDF start + 1). Notice the gap between Exhibit B (ends at PDF page 224) and Exhibit C (starts at PDF page 304): pages 225–303 belong to documents that are not being produced as exhibits. Do not fold those pages into an exhibit range.
Step 3. Choose a split tool based on confidentiality and range support
All of the tools below can extract a page range into a new PDF. For discovery material, prefer a tool that does not upload the file.
| Tool | Where it runs | How to extract a page range | Upload | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Preview | Built into macOS | File > Print, set From/To, then PDF > Save as PDF | Never | Free, no install |
| qpdf | Terminal | qpdf --empty --pages discovery.pdf 127-149 -- "Exhibit A.pdf" |
Never | Free, open-source |
| Adobe Acrobat Pro | macOS app | Tools > Organize Pages, select the pages, click Extract | Optional | Paid subscription |
| OctopusPDF Split PDF | Browser (Safari or Chrome) | Enter start and end page, click Split | No — zero uploads | Free; Pro supports files up to 100 MB for split operations |
One option is a browser-based splitter. The documentation for the tool in the table states that its PDF tools run entirely in the browser with zero uploads, so the 500-page file never leaves the Mac. That is useful for confidential discovery material, but verify the claim yourself in the Network panel in Step 4.
Step 4. Extract the first exhibit range as a test
Start with the smallest exhibit — Exhibit A (PDF pages 127–149 in the example) — and inspect the output before splitting the rest.
- Apple Preview: open the PDF, choose File > Print, set Pages From 127 To 149, click PDF in the bottom-left corner, choose Save as PDF, and save as
Exhibit A - Smith Contract.pdf. - qpdf: from the Terminal, run
qpdf --empty --pages discovery.pdf 127-149 -- "Exhibit A - Smith Contract.pdf"in the folder that contains the source file. - Adobe Acrobat Pro: open the file, go to Tools > Organize Pages, select the thumbnail for page 127, shift-click the thumbnail for page 149, and click Extract.
- Browser splitter: drag the PDF into the tool, enter 127 as the start page and 149 as the end page in the split tool, run the split, and download the result.
Watch out: if you use a browser splitter, open the browser's developer Network panel before loading the file (Command-Option-J in Chrome; Develop > Show JavaScript Console in Safari). The reference documentation for local-only browser conversion is explicit: no upload, no server, no queue — verify it in the network panel. If you see the file being sent to a remote server, stop and use Preview or qpdf.
Step 5. Split the remaining exhibit ranges
Repeat Step 4 for every row in the plan table. If the tool supports multiple page ranges in one pass, batch them; otherwise run one range at a time. Save each output into the Discovery_Exhibits folder as soon as it is generated, using the filename from the plan.
Do not use a "split every page into its own PDF" mode here. That mode creates hundreds of single-page files; exhibit extraction is the page-range mode.
Step 6. Rename and sort the output files
Rename each generated PDF so the filename matches the attorney-approved convention. Use hyphens instead of spaces if the files will go through an e-filing system. Keep the folder sorted by name so exhibits appear in order; for numbered exhibits, zero-pad the numbers (e.g., Exhibit 01 - ...).
Step 7. Verify each exhibit's page count and boundaries
Open each exhibit and confirm two things: the page count matches the plan, and the first and last pages show the expected Bates numbers. For Exhibit A in the example, the file must have 23 pages, start at SMITH000123, and end at SMITH000145.
Watch out: if every file is off by the same number of pages, the offset from Step 1 was wrong. Recalculate it, update the plan table, and re-split the affected ranges.
Step 8. Strip hidden metadata before production
Before sending exhibits to the court or opposing counsel, remove hidden content. A redact/sanitize function physically deletes metadata, comments, and hidden content from the PDF. A plain File > Save As does not reliably do this; use the dedicated sanitize/redact action. The vendor documentation for the browser-based tool in Step 3 describes a solo-attorney workflow that redacts names and clauses and strips metadata in one click before sending.
Step 9. Stamp page numbers as the final action
After sanitizing, add page numbers so each exhibit reads "1 / N" or "Page 1 of N" in the chosen corner. Use the page-number stamp's cover-skip option when the exhibit has a cover page, and do this last so the stamp appears in the final file. Re-save the finished exhibit into the production folder.
Common Mistakes / Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Every exhibit is off by the same number of pages | Bates numbers used as PDF page numbers | Find the PDF page where a known Bates number appears, recalculate the offset, update the plan, re-split |
| Browser splitter appears to transmit the file | Tool is server-based, or a browser extension interferes | Open the Network panel before loading the file; if the file is sent remotely, switch to Preview or qpdf |
| Split fails on the 500-page PDF | File size exceeds the tool's limit | Use qpdf or Preview (local, no size limit), or check whether the browser tool's Pro plan supports files up to 100 MB |
| Hundreds of single-page files instead of exhibits | "Split every page" mode used instead of range extraction | Re-run with the page-range extraction mode |
| Exhibit contains pages from an adjacent document | Range overlap or double-counted boundaries | Ensure the next row's start page is one more than the previous row's end page; re-check the count formula |
How to Verify Success
- Each exhibit file opens and contains only its intended page range.
- Each exhibit's page count equals (Bates end − Bates start + 1).
- The first page shows the Bates start number; the last page shows the Bates end number.
- Filenames follow the approved convention and sort in order.
- If a browser splitter was used, the Network panel showed no outbound upload.
- Metadata and comments were removed, and page numbers read "1 / N" or "Page 1 of N."
FAQ
Q1. What if the 500-page discovery PDF is larger than 100 MB?
Use Apple Preview or qpdf — both process the file entirely on the Mac and have no practical file-size limit. If you prefer a browser splitter, one option is OctopusPDF, whose documentation notes that Pro supports files up to 100 MB for split operations.
Q2. Can I split every page of the discovery PDF into its own PDF?
Yes. The split function in the browser-based tool described in Step 3 can extract page ranges or split every page into its own PDF. In qpdf, qpdf --split-pages discovery.pdf "Exhibit-Page" produces one PDF per page. Use this mode only when each page is a self-contained exhibit; most discovery exhibits span multiple pages.
Q3. How do I confirm a browser-based tool is not uploading my confidential file?
Open the developer Network panel before you load the file and watch the activity while the split runs. The reference documentation for one local-only browser tool is explicit: no upload, no server, no queue — verify it in your network panel. If any request leaves your Mac, stop and use Preview or qpdf.
Key Facts
- Splitting a discovery PDF into exhibits is a page-range extraction task: calculate the Bates-to-PDF offset, build a plan table, then extract each range into a separate file.
- Browser-based PDF tools can run entirely in the browser with zero uploads, making them suitable for confidential documents when verified in the Network panel.
- A redact/sanitize function physically deletes metadata, comments, and hidden content, and page-number stamps can render "1 / N" or "Page 1 of N" with cover-page skip.
- Some browser-based PDF tools support files up to 100 MB on a Pro plan for merge, split, and rotate operations.
- Free macOS tools — Apple Preview and qpdf — can extract page ranges fully offline, with no upload and no file-size limit.