Is this online crop PDF tool free?

Yes — PDFFlare's Crop PDF tool is 100% free with no signup, no watermarks, and no page limits. Crop as many PDFs as you need.

Does my PDF get uploaded to a server?

No. Cropping happens entirely in your browser using pdf-lib and pdf.js. Your PDF, the rendered preview, and the cropped output never leave your device — there is no upload at any point.

Can I crop all pages at once or just specific pages?

All three. After selecting the crop area, choose “All pages” (same crop applied to every page — useful for trimming uniform scanner margins), “First page only” (crops just page 1 — useful when only the cover page needs adjusting), or “Page range” with a flexible 1-indexed string like 1-3, 5, 8-10 to crop a specific subset.

Will text and images stay intact in the cropped PDF?

Yes. Cropping changes the page bounding box (MediaBox and CropBox) — it does not delete content. Text remains selectable, images stay sharp, and hyperlinks still work. Content outside the crop area is simply hidden by the new page bounds.

What aspect ratios can I crop to?

Free (any rectangle you draw), Square (1:1), A4 Portrait (210×297 mm), A4 Landscape (297×210 mm), and US Letter (8.5×11 in). The preview rectangle locks to the chosen ratio so you can't accidentally drag it out of shape.

Can I undo a PDF crop if I make a mistake?

Cropping creates a new PDF — your original file is untouched on your device. If you don't like the result, just reload the original and try again. Some PDF readers also support resetting the crop box via “Set Page Box” in their print or document properties dialog.

Why is the preview only showing page 1?

Page 1 is shown to keep the preview fast (large PDFs would be slow to render every page in the browser). The crop you select is applied to every page proportionally when “All pages” is selected — pages of different sizes are cropped at the same relative position and percentage.

Does cropping a PDF reduce its file size?

Cropping changes the visible page area but does not remove the underlying content from the PDF stream — the file size stays roughly the same. To genuinely shrink a PDF, use our Compress PDF tool after cropping. Combining the two gives the smallest file with the cleanest layout.

Will my cropped PDF print correctly?

Yes. PDFFlare sets both the MediaBox (the physical page size) and the CropBox (the visible area) to the new dimensions. Printers and PDF viewers both respect these values, so the printed output matches the on-screen crop.

What is the maximum PDF size I can crop?

Free users can crop PDFs up to 50 MB. Because everything runs in your browser, larger files use more memory — phones may struggle on PDFs with hundreds of high-resolution image pages. For very large files, desktop browsers handle them best.

Crop PDF Online — Free, Browser-Based Page Trimming

Crop PDF pages online for free. Drag to select the crop area, apply to all pages or just the first. 100% browser-based, no upload, no signup.

Crop PDF pages in your browser — trim oversized margins, fit a scanned document to its content, or resize a page to a specific aspect ratio. PDFFlare's Crop PDF tool is free, requires no signup, and never uploads your file. Drag the crop rectangle on the preview, click apply, and download a clean PDF in seconds.

Other online crop-PDF tools upload your file to a server, process it remotely, and send it back. PDFFlare runs everything locally using pdf-lib and pdf.js — so a 50-page contract or a sensitive report never leaves your device. The cropped output keeps every text layer, hyperlink, and image intact; only the page bounds change.

After cropping, shrink the result further with Compress PDF or combine cropped pages with Merge PDF to assemble a polished final document.

Drop your PDF here

PDF files up to 50 MB

How to Crop PDF Pages

Upload your PDF
Click the upload area or drag a PDF file in. We render page 1 in your browser so you can see what you're cropping — your file never leaves your device.
Drag to select the crop area
Drag the corners or edges of the rectangle on the preview to set the crop area. Pick an aspect-ratio preset (Square, A4, US Letter) if you need fixed proportions.
Apply and download
Choose whether to crop all pages or just the first, then click Crop PDF. The output downloads instantly with the new page dimensions — fonts, text, and images all preserved.

When Do You Need to Crop a PDF?

Trimming scanner margins: A document scanner usually leaves a white border around the actual content. Crop the margins out so the document fills the page — better for printing, screen reading, and OCR.

Resizing for print or display: Need a Letter-size PDF from an A4 source, or a square PDF for a presentation slide? Crop to the target aspect ratio instead of redoing the document.

Removing headers, footers, or watermarks: A persistent header or footer band on every page of a report? Crop it out in one pass — “Apply to all pages” trims the same band from every sheet.

Cleaning up cover pages: Many PDFs ship with a cover page that's wider or taller than the rest. Crop just page 1 to match the body pages — “First page only” mode is built for exactly this.

Why Use PDFFlare to Crop PDF Files?

Visual Drag Cropping

Drag the rectangle on the rendered page preview — no guessing pixel coordinates, no entering margin values in millimetres.

Aspect-Ratio Presets

Free crop, Square, A4 Portrait, A4 Landscape, or US Letter — the rectangle locks to your ratio of choice.

100% Browser-Based

Your PDF never leaves your device. Privacy-friendly for contracts, financial statements, medical records, or anything else you wouldn't upload to a server.

No Signup Required

Just upload, drag the crop area, and download. No accounts, no email, no watermarks on the output.

Frequently Asked Questions About Crop PDF

Merge PDF

Combine multiple PDFs into one

Split PDF

Separate into pages or ranges

Compress PDF

Reduce file size

PDF to Word

Convert to editable DOCX

Word to PDF

Convert DOCX to PDF

Excel to PDF

XLSX, XLS, ODS to PDF