Open pdfedit.com/crop-pdf in any browser, drop your PDF onto the page. The crop modal opens automatically. Click Auto-detect content margins or set them with the four sliders. Click Apply, then Save. No account, no upload, no Adobe Pro.

Yes. PDFs have a CropBox property that controls the visible region of each page — every PDF reader respects it. Cropping a PDF means setting that CropBox to a smaller rectangle. We do that in your browser without modifying the underlying content stream, so the original layout can be restored.

Is this PDF crop tool free?

Yes. 100% free forever — no trial, no premium tier, no per-file charge, no daily quota.

No. The crop runs entirely in your browser via pdf-lib. Your PDF never leaves your device.

Can I crop one page or all pages?

Both. The modal has a scope selector — Apply to all pages (default) or Current page only. The current-page mode is useful for fixing odd one-off pages without altering the rest of the document.

What is a CropBox in a PDF?

PDFs have several boxes per page — MediaBox (full physical extent), CropBox (visible region in viewers), BleedBox (print bleed), TrimBox (final trim line), ArtBox (meaningful content). Setting the CropBox is what 'cropping' actually means in PDF terms. Adobe, Preview, and our tool all set CropBox.

What's the best way to crop a PDF?

For privacy-first cropping with auto-detect and no upload, we believe pdfedit.com is the best free option. On Mac, Preview's built-in crop is a solid offline alternative. For desktop / batch automation, Adobe Acrobat Pro is the gold standard but costs $19.99/month.

Crop a PDF — Free, In Your Browser, No Upload

Trim margins, remove whitespace, fit to content. Auto-detect or set manually. Live preview. No Adobe Pro paywall.

Drop a PDF — the crop modal opens with a live preview. Click Auto-detect content margins to trim the surrounding whitespace automatically, or use the four sliders for manual top / right / bottom / left margins. Soft crop (CropBox) — same approach Adobe Acrobat uses. Original content is preserved; the crop can be reset later.

Drop your PDF here

No upload needed. The crop modal opens once your PDF loads.

How to Crop a PDF — Step by Step

1
Drop your PDF
Drag any PDF onto the dropzone above, or click Select PDF to browse. The file loads into your browser memory only — no server upload.
2
Click Auto-detect content margins
The modal scans page 1 for the bounding box of non-white content and sets margins to crop tight to the content. Most documents have consistent margins across pages so page 1 is a reliable sample.
3
Or set margins manually
Use the four sliders for top / right / bottom / left margins (0-50% each). The live preview shows the trimmed area in red so you can see exactly what's cropped.
4
Pick scope: all pages or current page
Default is all pages. Switch to current page only for one-off odd pages without altering the rest of the document.
5
Apply & save
Click Apply. The cropped PDF reloads in the editor. Click Save to download. The crop is a soft CropBox — the original content can be restored by resetting the CropBox later.

Why Use This PDF Crop Tool?

Auto-detect content margins

The killer feature. Renders page 1, scans for non-white pixels, sets margins to trim tight to the content with a small padding. Perfect for scanned docs, slide decks, and anything with surrounding whitespace.

100% local

Your PDF never leaves your device. Adobe (web), iLovePDF, Sejda, Smallpdf, PDF24 all upload — we don't.

Soft crop, reversible

We set the page CropBox, not the MediaBox. The original content is preserved; the crop just narrows the visible region. Same approach Adobe Acrobat uses for Edit → Crop. Resetting the CropBox restores the original page.

Live preview

Every margin adjustment immediately updates the preview with a red overlay over the trimmed area. No guesswork.

No quality loss

Cropping doesn't re-encode anything. Text, images, vectors all preserved at full fidelity. Output file size ≈ input.

Free, no signup, no limit

No account, no email, no captcha, no daily quota, no watermark.

Crop PDF vs Adobe Acrobat, iLovePDF, Sejda, macOS Preview

Feature	PDF Edit	Adobe Acrobat Pro	iLovePDF	Sejda	macOS Preview
PDF uploaded to a server?	No — 100% local	Yes (web) / No (desktop)	Yes	Yes	No (offline)
Cost	Free	$19.99/month	Free + paid	Free + paid	Free (Mac only)
Auto-detect content margins?	Yes	Yes (Remove White Margins)	No	Limited	No
Live preview?	Yes	Yes	Limited	Yes	Yes
Per-page or all-pages?	Both	Both	All only	Both	Per page
Cross-platform?	Any browser	Win / Mac / web	Web	Web	Mac only
Works offline after load?	Yes	Desktop yes / web no	No	No	Yes

macOS Preview is the best built-in option for Mac users. For everyone else (Windows, Linux, Chromebook, mobile), or for the auto-detect feature on a Mac, this tool covers what Preview can't.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I crop a PDF?

Drop the PDF on the page above. The crop modal opens. Click Auto-detect or set margins manually. Click Apply, then Save.

How do I crop a PDF for free?

Use this tool — 100% free, no signup, no daily quota.

Can you crop a PDF?

Yes — every PDF has a CropBox property that defines the visible region. Cropping a PDF means setting that CropBox smaller. We do that in your browser.

How do I crop a PDF on Mac?

Two options: macOS Preview (drag a selection rectangle, Tools → Crop), or this tool (more features, auto-detect, cross-platform).

How do I crop a PDF in Adobe?

Adobe Acrobat Pro: Edit PDF → Crop Pages → drag a rectangle → set margins → OK. $19.99/month subscription. Ours does the same auto-detect feature, free.

Will the cropped content be permanently deleted?

No — soft crop. We set the CropBox, not the MediaBox. The original page bounds are preserved and can be restored.

Can I auto-detect content margins?

Yes. Click Auto-detect content margins. We scan page 1 for non-white pixels and set margins to crop tight to the content.

Will the cropped PDF lose any quality?

No. Cropping doesn't re-encode anything — text, images, vectors all preserved at full fidelity.

What is a CropBox?

The PDF page property that controls the visible region in viewers. Setting it smaller is what cropping a PDF actually means.

Is my PDF uploaded?

No. Crop runs entirely in your browser via pdf-lib.

Is there a file-size limit?

No artificial limit.

Does it work on mobile?

Yes — iPhone Safari, iPad, Android Chrome.

Does it work offline?

Yes once the page has loaded.

About this tool: The crop engine here is the SAME crop tool our main editor ships — drop your PDF, the editor opens with the crop modal pre-activated. One source of truth, no duplicated cropping code. The PDF never leaves your device — pdf-lib sets the CropBox entirely in your browser.