Question 1

Does the crop apply to every page, or can I choose?

Accepted Answer

You choose -- apply the same crop to All pages, just This page (the one you're previewing), or a specific page range. All pages remains the default for the common case of trimming a consistent margin throughout a document.

Question 2

What if my pages aren't all sized or positioned the same way?

Accepted Answer

When cropping all pages, the crop uses the first page as its reference -- inconsistent page sizing or content position (common in scanned documents photographed slightly differently each time) can mean the crop doesn't land correctly on every page. Check a few pages in the result before relying on it, or use a page range to crop only the pages where the same region genuinely applies.

Question 3

What does Auto-trim actually do?

Accepted Answer

It scans the previewed page for where the real content starts and ends -- treating anything close to white as background -- and selects that detected area automatically, as a starting point you can still adjust by dragging afterward. It works well on a clean white background with margins; it's less reliable on a page with a colored or textured background, since it can't tell background from content as clearly.

Question 4

Can I crop just a header or footer strip off every page?

Accepted Answer

Yes -- drag a selection covering everything except the header/footer strip you want removed, then apply to All pages. The crop keeps whatever's inside your selected region and discards the rest.

Question 5

Are my files uploaded to a server?

Accepted Answer

No -- cropping, including Auto-trim's content detection, runs entirely in your browser. Your PDF never leaves your device.

Question 6

Can I undo a crop after downloading?

Accepted Answer

No -- once applied and downloaded, the crop is permanent in that file. Keep your original, uncropped file if you might need the trimmed content again.

Question 7

What's the difference between this and Redact PDF?

Accepted Answer

Crop only changes each page's visible boundaries -- it doesn't remove or alter any content within the cropped area, just what's shown. Redact genuinely removes specific content from within a page. If the goal is deleting sensitive information, not just trimming margins, use Redact instead.

Question 8

What should I do after cropping if the file needs to be smaller or the orientation is off?

Accepted Answer

Use Compress PDF to shrink the file for sharing, or Rotate PDF if a page's orientation also needs fixing -- either works fine on the cropped result.

Crop PDF

Watch: Crop PDF in Action

Frequently asked questions