How to crop a PDF on your Mac computer in 5 simple steps

Publish date: 2024-08-10

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A PDF is one of the most useful file formats because it is so universally accessible. 

No matter what operating system you are using, from Windows to Mac OS, PDF documents should always look the same and won't be altered or corrupted when shared.

But while you might think of PDFs as locked and unalterable, in fact you are able to edit them. If you use a Mac computer, cropping a PDF to remove unwanted content is quick and easy.

Here's how to do it. 

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How to crop a PDF on your Mac computer

1. Open the PDF you wish to crop.

2. Identify the block of content on a given page that you want to crop around.

3. Click the Rectangular Selection tool (it looks like a box formed by partial lines, and is at the top left corner of the PDF).

Click the cropping icon. Steven John/Business Insider

4. Click and drag a box around the content you wish to keep.

5. Click the word "Crop" to delete all other content on the page.

Click Crop when you've made your selection. Steven John/Business Insider

Repeat this process as needed for other pages in your PDF file. 

You can always undo a crop if you aren't happy with it. To entirely restore a PDF to its pre-cropped version, select File > Revert To, and then choose the earliest version.

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Steven John Freelance Writer Steven John is a freelance writer living near New York City by way of 12 years in Los Angeles, four in Boston, and the first 18 near DC. When not writing or spending time with his wife and kids, he can occasionally be found climbing mountains. His writing is spread across the web, and his books can be found at www.stevenjohnbooks.com. Read more Read less

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