How to use the pdf page cropper
- Choose a PDF. Pages are counted and the options become available.
- Pick the unit and enter how much to cut off the top, bottom, left and right. Measure on the page as you see it, even if a page is turned. The example cuts 1 inch from every side.
- Enter pages such as 1-3, 5 to crop only those pages, or leave it blank for all pages. Keep Also make the page itself smaller ticked so every viewer and printer shows the cropped size.
- Press Crop and download. The preview shows the first page of the new file.
Trimming a Letter page
A US Letter page is 612 by 792 points, which is 8.5 by 11 inches. Cutting 1 inch from each of the four sides removes 72 points per side, leaving 468 by 648 points, or 6.5 by 9 inches. The page is 2 inches narrower and 2 inches shorter.
On a page of 300 by 400 points that is displayed turned 90 degrees, cutting 10 from the top, 20 from the bottom, 5 from the left and 40 from the right still removes those amounts from the sides you see. The result is a page 355 wide and 270 tall as displayed, and this was confirmed by drawing the file with a separate PDF program.
How cropping works in a PDF
A PDF page has several boxes. The media box is the full sheet and the crop box is the part a viewer shows. Cropping moves the crop box in from the edges. Because the content itself is not redrawn, text stays sharp and selectable and images are not recompressed. With the option to make the page smaller, the media box and the related trim, bleed and art boxes are set to the same rectangle, so printing and every viewer agree.
Pages that are turned for display are handled for you. The margins you enter are applied to the page as it appears, and the tool converts them to the page's own coordinates. The tool refuses a crop that would leave less than a quarter of an inch on a side, and it checks every page before changing any.
What cropping does not do
Cropping hides the outer part of the page, but the hidden content is still in the file, and a person with the right tools can recover it. Do not use it to remove private information. To remove content for good, the page must be redrawn without it, for example by converting the pages to images with the PDF to image tool and rebuilding the file.
To add space instead of removing it, use the PDF margin adder. To change the page size to a standard sheet, use the PDF page size tool. To crop a picture rather than a PDF, see the image cropper.
Privacy and limits
The PDF is processed in your browser and never uploaded. Files up to 25 MB and 500 pages are supported. Password protected files cannot be opened, and the tool does not try to guess or remove passwords.
Assumptions and limits
- Margins are measured on the page as displayed and given in the unit you choose. A unit is converted exactly: 72 points make an inch.
- The new visible area starts from the page's current crop box, so a second crop adds to the first.
- Cropping does not remove content, only hides it.
- Each cropped page must keep at least a quarter of an inch in width and height.
Frequently asked questions
Does cropping reduce the file size?
Not much, if at all. The hidden content stays in the file, so the size is about the same. To make a file smaller use a compression tool.
Why make the page itself smaller?
Some viewers and print systems look at the media box rather than the crop box. Setting both means the cropped size is what everyone sees. Untick it if you want only the crop box changed.
Can I crop only some pages?
Yes. Enter page numbers or ranges such as 1-3, 5, 8-10. Pages you leave out are not changed.
Is the cropped part gone for good?
No. It is hidden, not deleted, and could be brought back by editing the file. Do not rely on cropping to hide private data.