Crop PDF Pages

To crop a PDF, choose your file below, drag on the page preview to draw the area you want to keep, and click "Crop PDF." You can apply the crop to every page or only the page shown, and the file stays on your device.

Free, no sign-up. Files are processed on your device and never uploaded.

How to crop a PDF

Cropping trims away margins, white space or extra material around the part of the page you care about. This tool works in any modern browser on a computer or phone, is free, and needs no sign-up.

You draw the crop area directly on a preview of the page, so you can see exactly what will remain. When you are done, the cropped PDF downloads automatically, and a download button also appears.

1. Click "Choose a PDF" and select your file, or drag it onto the drop zone.
2. Use Previous and Next to find a page that shows what you want to keep.
3. Drag on the page to draw a box around the area to keep.
4. Under "Apply to," pick "All pages" or "Only the page shown."
5. Click "Crop PDF" to download the cropped file.

How to crop PDF pages on Mac or Windows

On a Mac, Preview has a rectangular selection tool and a crop command, which works well for a page or two. Some full PDF editors on Windows also include a crop feature, but they are often paid software. Taking a screenshot of the area is another common workaround, though it turns the page into an image and loses sharp, selectable text.

This tool is easier when you want the same crop on every page, such as trimming wide margins from a scanned book or a slide handout. You draw it once, choose "All pages," and every page is cropped the same way. It also works on a phone, where desktop apps are not an option.

Crop options explained

All pages applies your crop area to the whole document. The crop is relative to each page, so if your PDF mixes page sizes, the box adapts to each one instead of cutting in the wrong place.

Only the page shown crops just the page in the preview and leaves the rest untouched. This is useful for a single page with a large diagram, or one page that needs tighter trimming than the others. To crop several pages differently, crop one, then load the result and crop the next.

Rotated pages are handled correctly. The crop follows the page as you see it in the preview, so you do not need to straighten the page first.

Privacy and limits

Your PDF is processed in your browser on your own device and is never uploaded to PaperPorter. That keeps contracts, records and other private documents off third-party servers.

It is important to know how cropping works. The tool sets the PDF's crop box, which hides everything outside your selection. The hidden margins are still stored in the file; they are just not shown or printed. So cropping is not a way to permanently remove sensitive content. If someone resets the crop box in another editor, the hidden parts can reappear.

Because only the visible area changes, cropping does not reduce quality, and text stays sharp and selectable.

Tips for cropping PDFs

Check a few pages before cropping all. Step through with Previous and Next to make sure no page has content near the edge that your box would hide.

Leave a little breathing room. Cropping right up to the text can look cramped when printed. A small margin around the content usually looks better.

Do not rely on cropping to redact. To share only part of a document, remove whole pages with a page tool instead, since cropped areas remain in the file.

Fix orientation separately if needed. Cropping does not change which way a page faces, so use a rotate tool for sideways pages.

More ways to edit your PDF

To turn pages the right way up, use Rotate PDF. To keep only certain pages, Split PDF can extract them into a new file, and PDF to JPG saves pages as images. If you are preparing an official form, PaperPorter can also help you fill permit and government PDFs. See all PDF tools.

More free PDF tools

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Frequently asked questions

How do I crop a PDF for free?

Choose your PDF on this page, drag on the preview to draw the area to keep, and click "Crop PDF." It is free and needs no sign-up.

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

Draw your crop area, set "Apply to" to "All pages," and click "Crop PDF." The crop adapts to each page if the sizes differ.

Can I crop just one page in a PDF?

Yes. Choose "Only the page shown" and only the page in the preview is cropped.

Does cropping a PDF permanently delete content?

No. Cropping sets the PDF's crop box, so the hidden margins stay in the file but are not shown or printed. Do not use it to remove sensitive information.

Does cropping a PDF reduce quality?

No. Only the visible area changes, so text and images stay exactly as sharp as before.

Is my PDF uploaded when I crop it?

No. The PDF is cropped in your browser on your device and never sent to PaperPorter.