PDF tools
Crop PDF: trim margins with a live page preview
This tool trims the visible margins of a PDF using a percentage for each side, with a live preview so you can check what stays before you download. Choose a PDF, adjust the margins or the sliders, then crop and download. Cropping runs in your browser.
1. Choose your PDF
No PDF selected.
One PDF
Blank means all pages. Count from the first page as 1; repeated ranges apply only once.
2. Adjust crop margins
Percent of the currently visible page, measured from the edges as displayed. Opposite margins must total less than 100%.
Page preview
Choose a PDF to preview its pages.
The preview shows the retained area and hidden margins.
3. Crop and download
Choose one PDF to begin.
How to crop a PDF
To crop a PDF, choose the file, set the margins, check the preview, then download. The preview updates as you adjust each margin, before you select Crop PDF.
- Select Choose PDF and pick one PDF file. Its first page appears in the preview once it loads.
- To crop only some pages, type page numbers or ranges in Pages to crop (optional). Leave it blank to crop every page.
- Set Top, Right, Bottom and Left as percentages, using the number fields or their sliders; every side starts at 5%. Check Keep all four margins equal to drive all four from one value.
- Use Previous and Next to step through pages. Violet shading marks what the current margins would hide; the outlined area is what stays.
- Select Crop PDF, then Download cropped PDF once it appears.
Reset releases the file, its settings and any result. Running Crop PDF again applies the current margins to the original file, not the previous result.
What changes when you crop
This tool only changes the CropBox of each selected page; the MediaBox, page rotation, page order and original content stay exactly as they were, including on pages left out of Pages to crop. Margins are read as percentages of the page's own displayed edges, so a rotated page's Top, Right, Bottom and Left follow what the preview shows, not the page's stored, unrotated axes. Opposite margins must together stay under 100 percent, since a pair summing to 100 or more would leave no visible area at all.
Cropping hides content rather than deleting it, so this is not secure redaction. Saving also invalidates any digital signature already on the file, since the signed bytes change. Forms, annotations and bookmarks are left in place at the same position on the page. Check interactive features after saving.
Limits
This tool has no password field, so an encrypted PDF is reported rather than opened. Pages to crop accepts a blank field for every page, or numbers and ranges such as 1, 3-5 within the page count; anything else, including a range with the higher number first, is reported so it can be corrected.
Each margin must be 0 or higher, and each opposite pair, Top with Bottom and Left with Right, must together stay under 100 percent; a setting outside these bounds is reported as invalid, not silently clamped. The tool reads one PDF at a time, and a large or complex file can need more memory than the browser tab has, so a failed run reports the problem with no partial download.
The live page preview needs its own browser support and can be unavailable in some browsers. When it is, cropping and downloading still work without it.
Questions
How can I crop a PDF for free?
Open this page, choose your PDF, set the margins you want on each side using the number fields or sliders, then select Crop PDF. There is no account, no price and no page limit set by this tool. After each run, the page shows the input and output file sizes.
Will cropping remove the hidden margins from the PDF?
No. Cropping only changes which part of the page is displayed; the trimmed content stays inside the file and can still be recovered from it. Do not rely on cropping to remove or conceal sensitive text or images before sharing a document.
Will my cropped PDF be a smaller file?
Not necessarily. Cropping changes which area of the page is shown, but every original object stays in the file. Saving rewrites the file, so its size can still go up or down; hiding the margins itself saves no space. The tool shows the input and output size after each run.
Why can't I crop my PDF?
The tool reports a specific reason: a password-protected PDF (there is no password field to unlock it), a file that is not a PDF or is damaged, or opposite margins that together add up to 100 percent or more, which would leave no visible area. Each case shows its own message instead of a generic failure.
How do I crop a PDF without Adobe?
This tool uses the open-source pdf-lib library in your browser. It needs no Adobe product and no install; open the page, choose your file, and crop it directly. The tool checks for the browser features it needs when the page loads, and says so if any are missing.
Are my files uploaded?
No. Cropping happens entirely in your browser: the PDF is read and its selected pages' CropBox is rewritten locally in a Web Worker, and no page content, file name or margin setting is ever sent anywhere or saved in browser storage between visits.