Resources · n8n integration

n8n Split Out nodeConfigure Split Out in n8n.

One item holding a list of eight orders is one item, and n8n treats it as one. The n8n Split Out node breaks that list into separate items, one per entry. Three parameters drive it: the field to split, what to carry over, and a short options list. There is nothing to authenticate.

Try the Split Out node on n8nSee the 3 parameters

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Why automate

What does the n8n Split Out node actually do?

Split Out takes one incoming item that contains a list and turns that list into separate items, one per entry. Its own description says it plainly: turn a list inside item(s) into separate items. Nothing else changes. The node runs on every incoming item it receives, and it never starts a workflow by itself: something upstream has to feed it, a Schedule Trigger, a Webhook or the trigger of a tool.

The first scenario is the one everyone meets on day two of using n8n. A step returns a single item with an array of records inside it, and the next node only ever sees one item, so it runs once instead of eight times. Point Fields To Split Out at that field and the count flips: eight items, eight runs, one row per record when you push them to Google Sheets.

Second scenario: an endpoint you called through HTTP Request answers with a nested payload, and the list you care about sits under a parent key. Dot notation handles that by default, so data.items is a valid field name here. If your keys genuinely contain dots, the Disable Dot Notation option exists for exactly that case.

Third scenario, the one that saves a rewrite later: the list entries are stripped down, and the context you need sits outside them. An entry may hold a product name while the customer email lives on the parent item. Include decides what travels with each new item, and Selected Other Fields lets you carry only the two or three keys you actually use downstream.

When is another node the better answer? If nothing has to become a separate item, and you only want to rename, reshape or add keys, reach for Edit Fields (Set) instead. Split Out is for the moment the item count has to change.

The limits are worth knowing before you build. The node is at version 1, with three parameters and no more. Fields To Split Out is required, so an empty value stops the node. Binary data follows its own path: the hint in the panel says to use $binary to split the input item by binary data, and Include Binary controls whether binary data rides along. For a wider look at where the tool fits, the n8n review covers the platform itself.

Parameters

Which parameters does Split Out give you?

The Split Out node has 3 parameters. For each one: the node as you configure it in n8n, what the parameter changes, and our field notes.

01

Fields To Split Out

fieldToSplitOut

What you see in n8n

Notes & use cases

This is where the node learns which key holds the list. Fill it in and every entry of that list leaves the node as its own item. Leave it empty and nothing runs, because the field is required.

Key parameters

  • Fields To Split Out: the name of the input fields to break out into separate items, separated by commas when there are several. The panel invites you to drag fields from the left or type their names, and an expression such as {{ $json.orders }} works too. For binary data, use $binary.
Use cases
an item carrying a list of order lines becomes one item per line, ready for a per-line action further down the workflow.
02

Include

include

What you see in n8n

Notes & use cases

Splitting a list throws away the rest of the item unless you say otherwise. Include is that choice: whether to copy any other fields into the new items.

Key parameters

  • No Other Fields: no other fields will be included, so each new item holds only what was inside the list entry.
  • All Other Fields: all other fields will be included on every new item.
  • Selected Other Fields: only the selected fields will be included.
  • Fields To Include: appears with the previous choice, a comma separated list of the fields you want to keep, such as email, name.
Use cases
keep the account owner on every split line so a later If branch still has something to test.
03

Options

options

What you see in n8n

Notes & use cases

Three settings live behind Add option, and each one answers a problem you only meet once the data is real. Options you never add keep their default value.

Key parameters

  • Disable Dot Notation: whether to disallow referencing child fields using parent.child in the field name. Turn it on when your keys contain dots of their own.
  • Destination Field Name: the field in the output under which to put the split field contents, instead of the default shape.
  • Include Binary: whether to include the binary data from the input in the new items.
Use cases
set a destination field name so the split content lands under a key the next node already expects.
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FAQ

Split Out questions builders ask

01Is the n8n Split Out node free on Cloud and self-hosted?
Yes. Split Out is a core node shipped with n8n, so there is nothing to install and nothing extra to pay for on the n8n side. It behaves the same way on n8n Cloud, the hosted offer run by n8n, and on an instance you host yourself with Docker or npm under the Community Edition and its Sustainable Use licence. A workflow built in one place runs identically in the other, which matters if you prototype on Cloud and move to your own server later. The node adds no quota of its own and no per-item cost.
02What do you need to connect before using Split Out?
Nothing at all. Split Out has no credential and no Authentication selector, so there is no account to link and no key to store. Drop the node on the canvas and the only thing it needs is data arriving on its input. That data has to come from somewhere, since the node does not open a workflow on its own: a Schedule Trigger, a Webhook or the trigger of a tool sits upstream, and Split Out runs on every incoming item that reaches it. The whole setup lives in the three parameters of the panel.
03What are the limits of the Split Out node?
It does one thing. The node reads a field that holds a list and turns the entries into separate items, and that is the whole contract described by its own summary. It has three parameters at version 1, so anything beyond them is out of scope. Fields To Split Out is required, and an empty value blocks the node instead of passing data through. If a workflow you inherited shows fewer options than this page describes, it is running an older version of the node, and a node never changes version on its own.
04When should you split a list instead of leaving it in one item?
Split when the next step has to run once per entry. A node placed after Split Out sees each entry as its own item, so it executes once per entry rather than once for the whole list. Keep the list intact when the next step should see it whole, or when you only need to rename and reshape keys, which is work for Edit Fields (Set) rather than a change in item count. The question is never the data itself, it is how many times you want the rest of the workflow to fire.
05n8n or Make for splitting lists into items?
It depends on what you value. Make, formerly Integromat, is a hosted automation platform with no self-hosting option and billing by the operation, which is easy to start with and easy to predict for small volumes. n8n can be self-hosted with Docker or npm, so the data stays on infrastructure you control, and it also exists as a hosted offer if you would rather not run servers. Splitting a list into items multiplies the number of downstream steps, so the cost model deserves a look before you pick.
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