Free Alternatives to FileSplitter for Windows, Mac, and LinuxSplitting large files into smaller parts can make sharing, storing, or transferring data much easier — especially when dealing with email size limits, older filesystems, or flaky network connections. If you don’t want to use FileSplitter (or it isn’t available on your platform), there are several free, reliable alternatives for Windows, macOS, and Linux. This article surveys the best cross-platform and native tools, shows typical use cases, offers quick how-to examples, and lists pros and cons to help you choose.

Why you might need a file splitter

Files can become impractically large for:

• Email attachments or messaging services with size caps.
• Copying to older storage media (FAT32’s 4 GB single-file limit).
• Uploads to services that enforce per-file limits.
• Sharing across slow or unreliable networks where resuming smaller pieces is easier.
• Preparing physical media (DVDs, USBs) where you want uniformly sized chunks.

A good file splitter produces pieces that can be combined exactly back into the original file without corruption and, ideally, supports checksums or verification.

Cross‑platform command-line tools

1) 7-Zip (Windows, macOS via p7zip, Linux)

7-Zip is primarily an archiver, but its volume-splitting feature is simple and reliable.

• Key features:

  • Creates multi-volume archives with compression (optional).
  • Integrates GUI (Windows) and CLI (all platforms via p7zip).
  • Supports AES-256 encryption for secure splitting + compression.

• Quick CLI example (create 100MB volumes):

  7z a -v100m archive.7z largefile.dat 

• Reconstruct:

  7z x archive.7z.001 

• Pros: Widely available, compression + optional encryption, verification via archive integrity.

• Cons: Produces archive format (not raw chunks) unless using method that still wraps files; recombination requires 7-Zip or compatible tool.

2) split / cat (Linux, macOS — also available on Windows via WSL or Git Bash)

The Unix split utility creates raw chunks without compression or containerization — minimal and robust.

• Key features:

  • Produces raw contiguous pieces (e.g., file.part00, file.part01).
  • Deterministic and very fast.
  • Works with pipes for streaming.

• Quick examples: “`bash

  Split into 100MB parts

  split -b 100M largefile.dat largefile.part.

Reassemble

cat largefile.part.* > largefile_reassembled.dat

- Pros: Built-in on most Unix-like systems, simple, no extra metadata. - Cons: No built-in verification; users must track order/filenames. --- ### 3) HJSplit (Windows, older but still used; runs on Linux with Wine) HJSplit is a classic small GUI utility focused solely on splitting and joining. - Key features:   - Very simple GUI for splitting and joining.   - Produces raw, numbered parts.   - Lightweight, portable (no install required on Windows). - Pros: Extremely easy for non-technical users. - Cons: Unmaintained long-term; lacks modern security features like checksums or encryption. --- ## Native GUI applications ### 4) GSplit (Windows) GSplit is a free Windows-only splitter with a user-friendly interface and many options. - Key features:   - Split by size, number of pieces, or content boundaries.   - Create self-uniting pieces (rejoiner executable).   - Options for checksums, naming rules, and advanced scripting. - Pros: Powerful GUI options for advanced users; self-reassemblers simplify recipient experience. - Cons: Windows-only; self-uniters may be flagged by some antivirus solutions if configured to generate executables. --- ### 5) Keka (macOS) Keka is a popular macOS archiver that supports split archives (ZIP/7z/rip). - Key features:   - Drag-and-drop GUI with split-size option for archives.   - Supports 7z and ZIP formats, with encryption.   - Native macOS look-and-feel. - Quick usage: Choose format (7z), set “Split size” (e.g., 100 MB), add file, press Compress. - Pros: Native macOS app, easy to use, supports encryption. - Cons: Produces archived volumes rather than raw chunks. --- ## GUI + CLI hybrid: PeaZip (Windows, Linux) PeaZip is an open-source archiver with split/volume support and both GUI and CLI modes. - Key features:   - Supports many archive formats and volume creation.   - Cross-platform builds (Windows native, Linux packages).   - Offers integrity checking and encryption options. - Pros: Versatile, open-source, good format support. - Cons: Archive-based workflow, more features than strictly necessary for simple splitting. --- ## Advanced options for large-data workflows ### rsync + chunking When transferring large datasets across networks, consider using tools that split logically and support resumable transfers, such as rsync or rclone, sometimes with chunking at the application level. These tools aren’t simple split/join utilities but handle large transfers with partial resume and integrity checks. - Example use case: Uploading backups in fixed-size parts to cloud storage while preserving resumability and checksums. --- ## Verification and checksums Whatever tool you choose, use checksums (MD5, SHA-256) to verify integrity after recombining: ```bash # Create checksum sha256sum largefile.dat > largefile.sha256 # After reassembly, verify sha256sum -c largefile.sha256 

If a splitter supports built-in verification or creates self-uniters with embedded checks, prefer that for critical data.

Choosing the right tool — quick decision guide

• Want raw chunks with minimal overhead: split / cat (Unix-like) or HJSplit (Windows).
• Need compression + split volumes: 7-Zip / p7zip, PeaZip, or Keka.
• Prefer GUI with advanced options and self-reassemblers: GSplit (Windows).
• Need resumable network-safe transfers: rsync, rclone, or archive+upload workflows.

Security and safety notes

• If you need confidentiality, choose a tool that supports strong encryption (7-Zip AES-256, Keka’s encrypted 7z/zip).
• Avoid running self-extracting or self-uniting executables from untrusted sources.
• Keep checksums to verify integrity after transfer or storage.

Example workflows

1. Simple split and rejoin (macOS/Linux):

   split -b 50M bigvideo.mp4 part. # Transfer parts... cat part.* > bigvideo_reassembled.mp4 sha256sum bigvideo.mp4 bigvideo_reassembled.mp4 

2. Split with compression and encryption (Windows with 7-Zip):

• Create volumes: 7z a -v100m -pSECRET -mhe=on archive.7z bigvideo.mp4
• Reassemble/extract: 7z x archive.7z.001 (enter password)

Conclusion

You don’t need FileSplitter to break large files into manageable pieces. For raw, minimal splitting, use split/cat or HJSplit; for compression and encryption, 7-Zip, PeaZip, or Keka are excellent; for Windows-specific GUI features and self-uniters, GSplit fits well. Match the tool to your needs (raw chunks vs. archived volumes, GUI vs. CLI, encrypted vs. simple) and always verify reassembled files with checksums for critical data.