Cropping a PDF removes unwanted margins, scanner borders, and blank space from any page — no software to install. This guide covers the best free online tools, Mac Preview, Adobe Acrobat, and the one thing most people get wrong about permanent cropping.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I crop a PDF for free?
Use a free online tool like Sejda, iLovePDF, or PDF24 — upload your PDF, drag the crop handles to the area you want to keep, and download. No signup or software required. For recurring cropping tasks, Scanjet handles multi-page PDF output directly from your phone scan.
Does cropping a PDF reduce file size?
Usually no. Most tools only adjust the CropBox — a display boundary that hides content without deleting it. The original full-page data stays in the file. To actually shrink the file, print the cropped PDF to a new PDF (which re-renders only the visible area) or use a dedicated PDF compressor afterward.
How do I crop a PDF permanently?
For a true permanent crop, use the "print to PDF" method after cropping: open the cropped PDF in any viewer, choose File > Print, select "Save as PDF," and print only the visible area. Alternatively, Sejda's online crop tool advertises permanent content removal. In Adobe Acrobat, use Preflight > "Remove objects outside trim area."
Can I crop a PDF on a Mac without Acrobat?
Yes. Open the PDF in Preview, draw a selection with the Rectangular Selection tool (under the Markup toolbar), then click Tools > Crop. Preview's crop is permanent by default — the content outside the selection is discarded. For numeric precision, PDF Expert or UPDF are the best Mac-native alternatives.
Why does my cropped PDF still show the original page size in some apps?
This happens because most tools only adjust the CropBox, not the underlying MediaBox. PDF viewers read the CropBox for display, but some apps (Google Drive, certain printers) read the MediaBox. To fix this, use the print-to-PDF method to create a new file where the MediaBox matches the cropped area.