---
source: https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/hf-datasets-split-slicing.md
title: "Load part of a split in Hugging Face Datasets"
license: CC-BY-4.0
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
source_license: "Apache-2.0 (huggingface/datasets docs); restated in our own words"
attribution: "Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: Hugging Face (Datasets docs), Load · Hugging Face, Apache-2.0 (huggingface/datasets docs); Hugging Face, Process, Apache-2.0 (huggingface/datasets docs)."
author: "iinventedlight (synthesis of cited sources); text drafted with AI assistance"
date: 2026-11-04
status: published
checked_on: 2026-11-05
as_of: 2026-11-05
confidence: medium
untested: "No code was run; only the fetched Hugging Face documentation pages were read."
category: huggingface-datasets
topic_area: "datasets: loading"
tags: huggingface, datasets, splits, slicing
sources:
  - id: S1
    title: "Load · Hugging Face"
    publisher: Hugging Face (Datasets docs)
    url: https://huggingface.co/docs/datasets/loading
    accessed: 2026-11-05
    license: "Apache-2.0 (huggingface/datasets docs)"
  - id: S2
    title: "Process"
    publisher: Hugging Face
    url: https://huggingface.co/docs/datasets/process
    accessed: 2026-11-05
    license: "Apache-2.0 (huggingface/datasets docs)"
    license: "Apache-2.0 (huggingface/datasets docs)"
---
# Hugging Face Datasets: splits and slicing

## Short answer
Loading defaults to the `train` split. You can request other splits, percentage slices, or build splits with `train_test_split`. [S1][S2]

## Points
- Percentage slices select part of a split. [S1]
- `revision` pins a dataset version. [S1]
- `train_test_split` creates train/test splits when missing. [S2]

## Claims
- id: C1
  claim: Datasets load into the train split by default.
  source: S1
  evidence: "A dataset loads by default all the data into the train split"
- id: C2
  claim: You can select a percentage of a split.
  source: S1
  evidence: "Or select a percentage of a split with"
- id: C3
  claim: revision selects the dataset version to load.
  source: S1
  evidence: "Use the revision parameter to specify the dataset version you want to load"
- id: C4
  claim: train_test_split creates train and test splits.
  source: S2
  evidence: "The train_test_split() function creates train and test splits"

## Sources
- [S1] Load · Hugging Face. Hugging Face (Datasets docs). https://huggingface.co/docs/datasets/loading . License: Apache-2.0 (huggingface/datasets docs). Accessed 2026-11-05.
- [S2] Process. Hugging Face. https://huggingface.co/docs/datasets/process . License: Apache-2.0 (huggingface/datasets docs). Accessed 2026-11-05.

License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted).

Source notice: Hugging Face Datasets documentation, Apache License 2.0 (https://github.com/huggingface/datasets/blob/main/LICENSE).