Crop PDF

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Select a crop area on any PDF page and apply it across multiple pages. Export as a cropped PDF or PNG images.

Drop PDF file here to crop

or click to browse

Click and drag to select crop area
mm
mm
mm
mm
Apply to?Choose which pages to crop: just the current page, all pages in the document, or a specific range of pages.
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Output format?Cropped PDF keeps text selectable and vector content sharp. Cropped Images (PNG) produces pixel-based files at your chosen resolution.
Crop method?Native PDF crop preserves text, fonts, and vector content by setting the CropBox. Rasterize converts pages to images first — guaranteed to work with any PDF, but text won't be selectable.
Output page size?Choose the output page size. 'Fit to crop' sizes each page to match the cropped area exactly.
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×
mm
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Image placement?Where to place the cropped image on the page. Only applies when page size is larger than the cropped area.

Preview

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About This Tool

This tool lets you visually crop PDF pages by drawing a selection box directly on the page. You can set the crop area precisely using millimeter inputs, or let Auto-Crop detect and remove white margins for you. The crop is applied using the PDF CropBox, which defines the visible area without removing any content. You can also export the cropped region as PNG images at different resolutions. All processing runs in your browser — your files stay on your device.

Sources: PDF-lib · PDF.js

How to Use

  1. Upload your PDF file
  2. Draw or auto-detect the crop area on a page
  3. Choose pages and format, then download

How to Use

  1. Upload your PDF file
  2. Draw or auto-detect the crop area on a page
  3. Choose pages and format, then download

Methodology

This tool uses the PDF CropBox as defined in the PDF specification (ISO 32000). The CropBox is a page-level property that defines the visible region for display and printing. When set, PDF viewers clip page content to this rectangle. Coordinates are converted from screen pixels to PDF points (1 point = 1/72 inch). The tool accounts for page rotation by transforming coordinates to the unrotated page space before applying the CropBox. Auto-crop works by scanning the rendered page pixels to detect content boundaries.

Sources: PDF-lib · PDF.js

Understanding Your Results

The crop preview shows exactly what the final output will look like. The dashed rectangle on the page indicates the crop area — everything outside it will be hidden in the PDF output or excluded from image exports. The dimension display shows the crop size in millimeters, matching standard print measurements. When exporting as images, higher DPI settings produce larger, more detailed images suitable for printing.

Practical Examples

Example 1: You have a 20-page scanned book with wide white margins. Click Auto-Crop to detect the text area, set Apply To to 'All pages', and click Crop & Download. The result is a PDF with tight margins on every page. Example 2: You need to extract a specific chart from page 5 of a report. Navigate to page 5, draw a box around the chart, set output to 'Cropped Images (PNG)' at 300 DPI, and download a high-resolution image of just the chart.

Tips for Cropping PDFs

• Use Auto-Crop first to quickly remove white margins, then fine-tune the selection manually if needed. • Navigate to a representative page before drawing the crop area — the same crop box is applied to all selected pages. • For scanned documents, try the image export at 300 DPI for print-quality results. • Use the numeric dimension inputs for precise alignment — useful when cropping forms or templates that need exact measurements. • If the crop looks different on various pages, check whether pages have different sizes or orientations. The tool handles mixed sizes by clamping the crop area to each page's bounds.

Sources

All calculations are performed locally in your browser. No data is sent to any server.

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Frequently Asked Questions
How does PDF cropping work?
The tool sets the CropBox on each selected page, as defined by the PDF specification (ISO 32000). The CropBox tells PDF viewers which area of the page to display and print. The original content outside the crop area is preserved in the file but hidden from view. This is the same method used by Adobe Acrobat's 'Crop Pages' feature.
Does cropping reduce the PDF file size?
No. The PDF CropBox only hides content outside the crop area — it does not remove it. The file size remains similar. If you need a smaller file, crop as PNG images instead, or use our Compress PDF tool afterward. The image export extracts only the visible pixels, resulting in a smaller output.
Can I crop different areas on different pages?
The crop area is applied uniformly to the selected pages. To crop different areas, run the tool multiple times: first crop a range of pages with one area, then load the result and crop other pages with a different area.
What output formats are available?
Two options: Cropped PDF preserves vector content and text selectability using the standard CropBox. Cropped Images (PNG) exports only the visible pixels at your chosen DPI (72, 150, or 300), producing clean raster files. Multiple pages export as a ZIP archive.
Is the original content preserved after cropping?
Yes, when you export as cropped PDF. The CropBox only defines which area is visible — all original content, text, and images remain in the file. Another PDF editor could remove the CropBox to restore the full page. If you export as images, only the cropped pixels are saved.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. All processing happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your PDF files are never sent to any server. The tool works offline after the page loads — you can disconnect from the internet and still crop your documents.
What is the maximum file size I can crop?
There are no artificial limits. Since processing happens in your browser, the practical limit depends on your device's available memory. Most devices handle PDFs up to 100 MB without issues. For very large files, the page rendering may take a moment longer.
What does the Auto-Crop feature do?
Auto-Crop analyzes the current page to detect the bounding box of visible content, then sets the crop area to tightly fit around it. This is useful for removing white margins from scanned documents or trimming excess whitespace. You can fine-tune the result by adjusting the crop box manually afterward.