How to Crop the Margins of a PDF (Free, Works on a Phone)
Key points
- Choose a PDF and a cropping method
- Check the red frame in the preview
- Crop and save the PDF
When a PDF has large margins around it, the text looks small when you read it on a phone. With Crop PDF Margins you can trim the margins so the content appears larger.
Steps
- Tap "Choose a PDF" and select one PDF.
- Choose how to crop.
- Trim margins automatically: trims the margin around the text and figures on each page. The easiest option.
- Same area on every page: matches the widest area across all pages, so every page ends up the same size.
- Set each edge in mm: cuts a fixed length from the top, bottom, left and right.
- Choose the "Margin to keep". If unsure, use "Small (3 mm)".
- In the preview of page 1, the area inside the red frame is what stays. Check its position.
- Tap "Crop", check the preview and save the PDF.
The original is not changed
Your original PDF stays as it is. The cropped PDF is saved separately.
The cropped part is only hidden and still remains inside the file.
Use "Crop PDF Margins" (free)
Tools that go well with this
- Rotate & Reorder PDF Pages: Fix sideways pages, change the page order, or remove pages.
- Compress PDF: Shrink a PDF to fit under a size you choose, for upload limits.
- Merge PDFs: Combine several PDF files into one, in the order you choose.
More guides for this tool
- Make a PDF Easier to Read on a Phone: Trim the Margins to Enlarge the Text
- Cutting Off Black Edges and Extra Margins in a Scanned PDF
- Cropping a PDF Does Not Delete the Cropped Part: Hide Sensitive Information Another Way
- When a PDF Prints Cut Off or Too Small: Adjusting the Margins
- Trim Lecture Slides to Paste into Notes and Review More Easily
- PDF Cropping vs Image Cropping: Which Should You Use?