Crop PDF Pages
Draw a crop rectangle on the preview or type margins in points (72 = 1 inch). Note: cropping hides content via the crop box; it does not delete it.
How to Crop a PDF
Upload your PDF and a preview of the first page appears. Click and drag directly on the preview to draw the region you want to keep; the dashed red rectangle shows your selection live, and the margin fields update automatically. Prefer numbers? Type trim values in points into the Top, Bottom, Left, and Right fields (72 points equals one inch, so 36 removes half an inch). Choose All pages or a page range like 1-5, 8, then click Apply Crop and download the result.
Understanding the Crop Box
PDF pages have several boundary boxes, and viewers display the crop box region. Setting it is instant and lossless: no pixels are re-rendered and quality is untouched. The important caveat is that content outside the crop box still exists in the file, invisible but present. Never use cropping to hide signatures, account numbers, or other sensitive data; that requires true redaction. Cropping is perfect for trimming scanner margins, removing binding shadows, and focusing a page on its content.
Tips for Mixed Documents
Use the Prev/Next buttons to preview different pages before committing, since the same box applies to every selected page. Portrait and landscape pages usually need separate runs. If a crop ever cuts content, re-run with smaller margins; the operation is fully reversible because the content was never deleted. For resizing pages to standard paper sizes instead of trimming, use Resize PDF Pages.
Crop, Resize, or Delete: Which Tool?
These three solve different problems. Crop trims the visible area of pages that are the right size but have ugly margins, like scanner beds. Resize changes the actual page dimensions, for example fitting everything onto A4 for printing. Delete removes whole pages. If your goal is smaller margins, crop. If the goal is a different paper size, use Resize PDF Pages. If the goal is fewer pages, use Delete PDF Pages. Combining them is common: crop the scans, then resize to A4, then delete the junk pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I crop a PDF?
Upload your PDF and the tool shows the first page. Drag a rectangle over the preview to choose the visible area, or type exact margin values in points. Pick whether to crop all pages or a range, then click Apply Crop. The tool sets the PDF crop box on each selected page and downloads the result. Everything runs locally in your browser.
Does cropping delete the content outside the crop area?
No, and this is worth understanding. Cropping sets the crop box, which tells viewers which region to display; the underlying content remains in the file. That means cropping is reversible and the file size barely changes, but it also means truly sensitive content outside the crop is still technically present. For redaction, use a proper redaction tool instead.
Can I crop all pages at once with the same area?
Yes, the default "All pages" option applies your crop rectangle to every page. This works best when all pages share the same layout and margins, like a uniformly scanned document. For mixed documents, use a page range to crop matching sections separately, running the tool once per group.
What units are the margin fields in?
PDF points, where 72 points equal one inch. Trimming 36 points off each side removes half an inch of margin. The visual drag method is easier for most people: draw the box and the tool converts it to points automatically. Use the numeric fields when you need an exact, repeatable trim, like removing exactly 0.5 inch from all sides.
The crop looks wrong on some pages. Why?
Usually because pages have different sizes or orientations. A crop box defined for a portrait page may cut into content on a landscape page. Check the "apply per page size" behavior: the tool applies the same box coordinates to every selected page. For mixed documents, crop each size group separately with page ranges.
Is my document uploaded anywhere?
Never. The preview renders with PDF.js and the crop box is set with pdf-lib, both running in your browser tab. Your file is read into memory, modified, and downloaded straight back. The tool works offline once the page has loaded.