How To Crop a PDF on Windows—Two Free Methods

Maybe you need to trim those wide margins to make your PDF easier to read on small screens. Or perhaps you need to remove sensitive information, prepare your PDF for better printing, or soothe your design-conscious eye with a cleaner looking layout.

If you're looking for a free online tool to quickly crop a PDF on Windows, try Smallpdf’s free Crop PDF tool here:

That should get you what you need right away, without signing up for an account.

But if you want to see how to crop your PDF using native Windows tools, or if you want to learn more about your options, then keep reading.

All options we share are fast and free, and none require downloading or signing up for any new software. Let's get to it.

→ If you're using a Mac, we suggest you jump over to this article for how to crop a PDF on Mac.

How to Crop a PDF on Windows with Snipping Tool (Windows 10/11)

This method is a workaround that lets you crop unwanted space from a PDF using tools built into Windows 10 and Windows 11. While it has limitations, it's perfect for quick, single-page crops when you don't have internet access.

Here's how to crop a PDF on Windows with the Snipping Tool: 1. Open the PDF in any reader (Edge, Chrome, or any PDF viewer). 2. Press Windows + Shift + S to open the Snipping Tool. 3. Draw a selection rectangle around the area you want to keep. 4. Save the screenshot as an image file. 5. Print the image as a PDF using Windows' “Print to PDF” option.

Here's a more detailed breakdown.

To use this native Windows method, you'll need to capture the part of your PDF you want to keep as an image file, then resave it as a PDF.

First, open your PDF by double-clicking on the file. Most Windows computers will open a PDF in the Edge browser by default, but for this cropping method any PDF reader will work.

Next, open the Windows Snipping Tool. You can search for it in the Start menu, or with the shortcut: Windows key + Shift + S.

With the Snipping Tool, draw a rectangle around the area you want to keep. This will copy the image to your Snipping Tool clipboard. There, you'll also find basic options to edit your PDF. You can read more about how to annotate a PDF on Windows here.

Finally, print the image using the built-in Windows “Print to PDF” option.

You now have a cropped version of your PDF.

The key advantages of this method are that you don't need an internet connection or additional software downloads.

There are also two big drawbacks:

• You can only do one page at a time.
• You must first clip the area as an image, then resave it as a PDF.

If you're on the go and only need to crop a single PDF page, it's an option to keep in mind. However, it's both tedious and impractical if you need to crop multiple PDF pages.

How to Crop a PDF on Windows with Smallpdf (Online, Fast)

If you want to skip the workarounds and get straight to cropping, an intuitive online option is the Smallpdf PDF Cropper. It's fast and free, with a user-friendly interface that requires no explanation. Your cropped PDF will be ready in seconds.

Here’s how to crop a PDF on Windows using Smallpdf:

1. Go to the online PDF Cropper.
2. Drag and drop your PDF into the box.
3. Use the crop tool to highlight the PDF area to keep.
4. Toggle to “Apply selection to all pages” or to a single page.
5. Click “Finish” and wait just a second.
6. Download your cropped PDF.

Within the cropping tool, you can zoom and scroll through your pages to easily find the areas you want to crop. Toggle to crop pages individually or to “Apply selection to all pages.”

Trim Margins, Headers, and Footers Uniformly

The “Apply selection to all pages” toggle lets you crop margins, headers, or footers uniformly across all of your pages in an instant. This is especially useful if, for example, you want to remove a footer that's included on every page of your PDF.

Apply Your Crop to All Pages at Once

This batch processing feature saves you tons of time when working with multi-page documents. Instead of cropping each page individually, you can apply the same crop area to your entire document with one click.

When you're ready to crop, select the Crop icon and highlight the area of your PDF you want to keep.

Repeat this as needed throughout your document, then click the big blue “Finish” button.

Before clicking to download your cropped PDF, you'll also see other options to compress, convert, merge and sign your PDF if desired. You can do all of this for free, without any app signup or software download.

Key advantages:

• Simple, user-friendly interface
• No signup or installation required
• Bulk crop pages for perfect formatting
• Full range of PDF annotating and editing features

Plus, your files are safe and secure. All documents are deleted from Smallpdf's servers when you're done, unless you choose to create an account. Your files are automatically deleted from our servers after processing. Your privacy is protected.

Which Windows PDF Cropping Method Should You Use?

You have a couple of options, and like most things, it's worth experimenting to find what works best for you.

Here's how to choose:

• Snipping Tool: Best for single pages, quick crops, and when you don't have internet access
• Smallpdf: Best for multiple pages, professional results, and maintaining original PDF quality

When it comes to cropping a PDF on Windows, online tools are a little quicker and a lot more intuitive than the built-in options offered on your PC. Apart from fewer clicks and zero learning curve, the online option is your only choice for bulk-cropping PDF pages.

FAQ: Cropping a PDF on Windows

Can I crop a PDF without Adobe Acrobat?

Yes! You can use Windows' built-in Snipping Tool or free online tools like Smallpdf to crop PDFs without needing expensive software.

Does cropping a PDF delete content or just hide it?

True PDF cropping (like with Smallpdf) permanently removes the cropped areas. Screenshot methods create new files with only the visible content.

How do I crop multiple PDF pages at once?

Use Smallpdf's "Apply selection to all pages" feature to crop multiple pages with the same dimensions in one go.

Will cropping reduce my PDF file size?

Cropping can reduce file size by removing content, but for significant compression, use our PDF compression tool after cropping.

More Handy PDF Tools for Windows

Need to do more than just crop your PDFs? Here are some other handy tools that work great on Windows:

• Compress PDF: Reduce file size without losing quality.
• Merge PDF: Combine multiple PDFs into one document.
• Split PDF: Extract specific pages or break up large documents.
• Rotate PDF: Fix page orientation issues.
• Edit PDF: Add text, images, and annotations.

Start your free trial to access all Smallpdf tools and make document management a breeze.