User Guide
- Upload your file or drag & drop it into the tool above.
- Choose your options and start the process.
- Download your finished PDF — files are processed securely and never stored.
About the Crop PDF tool
Cropping a PDF trims away the parts of each page you do not want displayed — wide scanner margins, a header band, a watermark strip along the edge, or everything except one half of the page. Drag a box over the page preview, choose whether it applies to one page or all of them, and download the result. Everything happens in your browser: the file is never uploaded.
How to use it
Drop in a PDF and the first page renders with a crop box already positioned. Drag inside the box to move it, drag any corner handle to resize, and use the page arrows to check the box against other pages before you commit. Six presets cover the common cases: trim a 5% or 10% margin all round, or keep the top, bottom, left or right half — the last two being how you split a two-up scan into single pages.
What cropping actually changes
A PDF page carries two rectangles. The media box is the full physical page. The crop box is the region a reader displays and a printer prints. This tool sets the crop box, which is why the operation is instant, lossless and reversible — no content is re-rendered or re-compressed, and text stays selectable and searchable.
| Example: A4 page, top half kept | Value |
|---|---|
| Original media box | 595 × 842 pt |
| Crop box origin (from bottom-left) | 0, 421 |
| Crop box size | 595 × 421 pt |
| Visible page after cropping | Top half only |
Note the origin. PDF coordinates start at the bottom-left corner and run upward, while your screen runs top-down — which is why a “top half” crop begins at y = 421 rather than y = 0.
The trade-off you should know about
Because cropping hides rather than deletes, the content outside the crop box still exists inside the file. Anyone can widen the crop box again and see it. That is convenient when you change your mind and unacceptable if you are cropping to remove sensitive information. To make the removal permanent, crop first and then print the result to a new PDF, or convert the cropped pages to images and rebuild the document with Image to PDF.
Limits
Encrypted PDFs must be unlocked first with Unlock PDF, since a protected file cannot be read. Very large documents are limited by your browser’s memory rather than by any file-size rule. Pages with an unusual rotation may need a rotate pass first using Rotate PDF. To remove whole pages rather than trim them, use Delete Pages, and to reorder what remains, Organize PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I crop a PDF for free?
Upload the PDF, drag the crop box over the area you want to keep, choose whether it applies to one page or all pages, and download. It is free, needs no sign-up, and the file never leaves your browser.
Does cropping a PDF reduce the file size?
Barely. Cropping sets the visible region rather than deleting content, so the hidden material stays in the file. To genuinely shrink the document, run the cropped file through the PDF Compressor.
Can someone recover the cropped-out area?
Yes. The content outside the crop box still exists and the crop can be widened again. If you are cropping to hide sensitive information, print the cropped file to a new PDF or rebuild it from images.
Can I crop all pages at once?
Yes — choose “All pages” and the same crop box is applied to every page. Use the page arrows first to check the box suits pages with different layouts.
Will cropping affect the text or quality?
No. Nothing is re-rendered or re-compressed, so text stays selectable and searchable and image quality is untouched. Only the visible region changes.
Why will my PDF not open in the tool?
The most common reason is encryption — password-protected files cannot be read until they are unlocked. Damaged or unusually structured PDFs can also fail; try re-saving the file from its source application.