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Crop PDF

Crop PDF margins by dragging handles on a page preview or typing exact millimetres, then apply the crop box to every page or a page range, with an option to make the crop permanent.

Overview

Crops the margins of PDF pages, either by dragging handles on a page preview or by typing exact margins in millimetres. The crop can be applied to every page or only a page range, and a live readout shows the resulting page size. It works by setting each page's crop box, so text and vector content stay sharp. The PDF is edited in your browser.

How It Works

Drop a PDF and the first page appears with a dashed crop frame and four handles. Drag a handle, or type top, right, bottom and left margins; the areas that will be hidden are shaded. Step through pages to check that the crop suits them all. Choose All pages or Selected pages with a range such as 2-10, optionally tick Permanent crop, then click Crop and download. The size before and after is shown.

Step-by-Step Usage Guide

  1. Drop the PDF whose margins you want to trim.
  2. Drag the handles on the preview or type the four margins in millimetres.
  3. Step through a few pages to check the crop works for each.
  4. Choose all pages or a page range and decide on permanent crop.
  5. Click Crop and download.

Technical Specifications & Standards

A PDF page has several boxes. The media box is the full sheet, and the crop box is the region viewers show and print. This tool keeps the page content untouched and only sets a new crop box, computed from your margins. Margins are measured on the page as you see it, so on a page with a /Rotate value of 90 the top margin still trims the edge at the top of the screen; the tool converts that to the page's own coordinate system before writing the box. Pages that would end up smaller than about 6 mm on a side are skipped and reported. Permanent crop also sets the media, trim, bleed and art boxes to the same rectangle, because some editors and print tools read the media box and would otherwise show the hidden margins again. In both modes the content outside the box is hidden, not removed, so cropping is not a safe way to redact sensitive text.

Targeted Use Cases

  • Removing wide white margins so a PDF reads better on a tablet or e-reader.
  • Trimming scanner borders and black edges from scanned pages.
  • Cutting printer crop marks and bleed off a print-ready file.
  • Cropping a slide deck exported with letterboxing.

Notes & Gotchas

  • Check several pages before saving, because one margin setting applies to every chosen page.
  • Turn on permanent crop if the file will go to an editor or print shop.
  • Use a redaction tool, not cropping, to remove confidential content.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I crop all pages of a PDF at once?

Set the margins on the preview, leave Apply to on All pages, then click Crop and download. The same margins are applied to every page.

Does cropping reduce the PDF file size?

Usually not by much. The crop box only hides content, so the hidden parts stay in the file. The before and after sizes are shown so you can see the difference.

Why does another app still show the old margins?

Some programs read the media box instead of the crop box. Tick Permanent crop, which sets every page box to the cropped area, and save again.

Will cropping remove text outside the box?

No. Content outside the crop box is hidden but still present in the file and can be recovered. Do not use cropping to remove confidential information.

Related tools

  • Rotate PDF - Rotate every page or only selected pages of a PDF by 90, 180 or 270 degrees and save the result permanently.
  • PDF N-up (Pages per Sheet) - Print 2, 4, 6, 8, 9 or 16 PDF pages on each sheet, on A4, Letter, Legal, A3 or A5, with page order, margins, gaps and thin borders. Pages stay vector, so text remains sharp.
  • Organize PDF Pages - Reorder, delete, rotate, duplicate and extract PDF pages with drag-and-drop thumbnails, then download the new PDF.
  • PDF Page Splitter - Extract specific pages or page ranges from a PDF and download as a new file.
  • Add Page Numbers to PDF - Stamp page numbers on a PDF in formats like "Page 1 of 9" or roman numerals, with position, size, margin and start number.
  • PDF to Word (DOCX) - Convert a PDF into an editable Word .docx file in your browser, with headings detected by font size, one section per page, and an exact-layout option that places each page as an image.