How to Crop A PDF in Adobe Reader

Last updated on November 2, 2023

Summary :

Seeking an answer on cropping PDFs in Adobe Reader? Unfortunately, it lacks that feature. But don’t worry! This article suggests two alternatives: PDFgear and Adobe Acrobat DC, for cropping PDF files.

Crop A PDF in Adobe Acrobat

How to crop a PDF when we need to remove the unwanted white space or margins in it? You input the question in Google but still get a blank mind even though loads of search results are listed for you. With many cropping tools listed, you just don’t know which one to choose. Read on!

Although Adobe Reader does not support “Edit PDF,” this post introduces two alternatives. One method is to use Adobe Reader free Alternative PDFgear to crop a PDF. Another method is to use Adobe Acrobat DC to crop a PDF.

How to Crop a PDF in Adobe Reader Alternative

Since the cropping PDF feature is not available in Adobe Reader, we should go with an Adobe Reader alternative. PDFgear is the best  Adobe Reader alternative for PDF cropping, editing, and splitting online.

With PDFgear, you can crop a PDF very easily, also only 3 steps are needed.

Step 1.  Go to PDFgear online PDF cropper

Visit the PDFgear online PDF crop tool using any browser on your device. Alternatively, click on the button below to jump to the “Crop PDF” page.

Step 2. Upload and crop a PDF

Click on the Choose files button to select the PDF file you want to crop from your device, or just drag and drop a PDF file to the tool.

Upload a PDF to the Online PDF Cropper

Upload a PDF to the Online PDF Cropper

Once the file is uploaded, use the provided cropping tools to adjust the desired area. Click and drag to make a crop selection, and press Esc to cancel the selection.

Crop the PDF Pages Online

Crop the PDF Pages Online

You can apply the cropping selection to the current page, all pages, or specific pages.

Step 3. Download the cropped PDF file

After everything is ready, click on the “Apply and Download” button to start the process.

Download the Cropped PDF File

Download the Cropped PDF File

Wait for the PDFgear to complete the cropping task. Finally, click on the “Download” button to save the cropped PDF to your device.

How to Crop a PDF in Adobe Acrobat

The second method is using the alternative to Adobe Reader, Adobe Acrobat. Adobe Acrobat is generally acknowledged as the best PDF editing tool for its powerful PDF editing toolset. Besides PDF cropping, printing, signing, sending, converting, and commenting on PDF documents, etc. are also supported.

What’s more, we can crop a single page or the whole file in PDF with Adobe Acrobat in a few easy steps.

Step 1. Download the Adobe Acrobat

Install Adobe Acrobat on your device. Free trial versions for both Windows and Mac. And open or upload PDF needed to be cropped with Adobe Reader DC.

Step 2. Edit & Crop PDFs

Tap “Tool” on top, then choose “Edit PDF”, and you will be led to the editing mode. Go to “Crop Pages” and then draw an area of the PDF to crop with a rectangle on the page by dragging your mouse.

Crop Pages in Adobe Acrobat

Crop Pages in Adobe Acrobat

Step 3. Set Page Box

Double click on the cropping rectangle. A new dialogue will pop up for you to set the cropped page. Based on your needs, you can set the margin, and page size of the dialogue and make sure you have got what you want, and finally, tap “OK“ to close the dialogue.

Setup Crop Pages in Adobe Acrobat

Setup Crop Pages in Adobe Acrobat

Notes: Cropping a PDF file with the same margin or for the whole PDF file in Acrobat Pro DC, just select “All” on the “Page Range”.

Can Adobe Reader Crop PDF?

Adobe Reader is only a PDF reader application, it can neither crop a PDF document, nor export cropped PDF by pages. Two crops a PDF on Windows, Mac, and mobile phones, there are two alternative methods. One is to purchase a premium account for the use of Adobe Acrobat DC, which has the PDF cropping feature, and another is to use a free online PDF cropper tool like PDFgear. You can try any of the methods, depending on your preferences.

Is Adobe Reader a Good PDF Cropper?

Adobe Reader is Adobe’s free PDF display and reader software that allows you to view, comment, and print PDF documents. Limited usage( 7 days trial) for signing, tracking, and sending PDFs.

Below isn’t an exhaustive list of reviews for Cons and Pros. Instead, we collect them from thousands of Adobe Reader users. After browsing these reviews, you will have a comprehensive understanding of Adobe Reader.

PROS

  • Friendly interface
  • Fantastic for annotations
  • A well-known company, data security protected
  • Multiple platforms( PC, tablets, app version) supported

CONS

  • Edit PDF tools are not available
  • Limited usage for Sign, Track, and Send

Conclusion

In this article, we introduce two alternatives to Adobe Reader for cropping PDF files. If you want to crop a PDF for free and online, you can go for PDFgear.

And if you do not have a stable internet connection most of the time or you are used to installing programs on a PC, you can go for Adobe Acrobat. Both cropping tools work well. The choice to use PDFgear or Adobe Acrobat will depend on your needs.

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