Crop PDF pages by typing a box measured in points
Crop PDF pages by setting a rectangle in points. The origin is the bottom left of the page. Width and height must each be at least 12 points. You can change the crop box only, or also rewrite the media box. Content outside the box can remain inside the file until a viewer discards it.
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How to crop PDF pages
- Add one PDF. If it is encrypted, enter the password you already know.
- Set X, Y, Width, and Height in points. X and Y are the bottom-left corner of the box. A point is 1/72 inch. The defaults are 36, 36, 540, and 720, a letter-sized inset.
- Choose Apply to: All pages, Odd pages, or Even pages. All pages uses the Pages field. Odd and Even ignore that field and use the parity of the page number.
- Leave Permanently crop off to set the crop box only. Turn it on to also set the media box to the same rectangle. The control’s note says viewers discard the cropped area, but the old content can remain in the file until then.
- Press Crop PDF and download the file. Check the first page and an even page if you used Odd or Even. A box smaller than 12 points on either side is refused.
Crop PDF options explained
The crop box is what most viewers treat as the visible page. Leaving Permanently crop off hides the margins in a typical viewer and leaves the old media box in the file. Turning it on writes the same rectangle into the media box as well.
All pages plus a blank Pages field crops every page. A range such as 1-3, 5, 8- limits the crop when Apply to is All pages. Odd pages and Even pages crop by page number and do not consult that range.
Width and height below 12 points are rejected. The fields allow up to 5000 points. A box that does not match the page will still be written if it meets the minimum. Measure from the bottom left, not the top left.
Crop box and media box
The crop box is a display instruction. The media box is the page’s declared size. Setting only the crop box is reversible by another tool that sets a larger crop box, because the content stream was not deleted. Setting the media box as well is what Permanently crop does. Even then, the warning stands: content outside the box can remain in the file until a viewer discards it.
This is not a pixel crop of a rendered image. Text outside the box is not erased from the content stream by the crop box alone. Do not treat a crop as redaction. If a sentence must be gone rather than hidden, cropping is the wrong tool.
Rotation is separate. The coordinates are the page’s own point space. A page with a rotation entry can look turned in a viewer while the box is still defined from that page’s bottom left. Rotate PDF first if you need the visual page upright before you measure.
Odd, even, and mixed sizes
Odd and Even are there for double-sided scans where one side has a different margin. They apply to every odd or even page in the file. They do not also filter by the Pages box. If you need pages 2, 4, and 9 only, use All pages and type 2, 4, 9.
A single box is applied to every matched page. Mixed page sizes get the same numbers. A box that suited a letter page can sit in the wrong place on an A4 page or a landscape sheet. Split those sizes apart first if one rectangle cannot serve all of them.
Limits, formats and output
| Accepted input | |
|---|---|
| Files per batch | 1 |
| Soft size warning | 200 MB or 1,000 pages |
| Hard stop | 500 MB total in memory |
| Output | PDF, or a ZIP when there is more than one file |
| Account | None. The tool runs in this tab. |
Your file never leaves your device
Your PDF crop box is set by a script running in this tab. The work runs in a Web Worker in this tab, using WebAssembly for the heavy parts, and the result comes back as a local blob. This site does not upload the file, store it, or log its name.
To verify: load the page, turn on airplane mode, and drop the file again. It still finishes. Or open DevTools, choose Network, and watch the run: there is no upload. The architecture is described on How it works.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the origin?
The bottom left of the page, in points. X increases to the right and Y increases upward. 72 points is one inch. The default X and Y of 36 are half an inch in from that corner. If you measure from the top of a viewer, you will set the box on the wrong edge.
Does crop delete the hidden content?
The crop box hides it in viewers that honour the crop box. Permanently crop also rewrites the media box. The page warns that content outside the box can remain in the file until a viewer discards it. Do not use this as redaction. Hidden text can still be in the content stream.
Why was my crop rejected?
Width or height was under 12 points. Raise both. A range that does not parse is a different error, and the message quotes the bad token. Page numbers start at 1. Odd and Even do not use the Pages field, so a bad range only matters when Apply to is All pages.
Can I crop one page?
Yes, when Apply to is All pages. Type that page number in Pages. Odd pages crops every odd page and will not limit itself to one of them. Even works the same way on even page numbers.
Will the text stay selectable?
Yes. The page is not rendered. The boxes change. Text that remains inside the visible area still selects. Text that sits outside the box may still be in the file, which is another reason this is not a removal tool.
What units are the fields?
Points. Letter is 612 by 792. A4 is about 595 by 842. The default width 540 and height 720 are a letter page with a half-inch inset, which will be wrong for a smaller page. Type numbers that fit the page you have.
Last updated 2026-09-26. By Tam.