How to Crop PDF on Mac: A Step-by-Step Guide for Seamless Document Editing

Learn how to crop PDF on Mac using built-in tools or third-party software with our comprehensive guide.

Get step-by-step instructions and helpful tips for successful PDF cropping.

How to crop pdf on mac?

Using Preview to Crop a PDF

Preview is the default PDF viewer on your Mac and is an easy-to-use tool for cropping a PDF.

Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Open the PDF in Preview

To open the PDF in Preview, double-click on the file or right-click on the file and choose “Open with Preview.”

Step 2: Select the Content

Click on the “Select” tool in the toolbar (or use the keyboard shortcut Command + A) and select the content you want to keep.

Step 3: Crop the PDF

Go to the “Tools” menu and select “Crop” (or use the keyboard shortcut Command + K).

A dotted line will appear around the content you have selected.

You can adjust the cropping area by dragging the blue handles.

Step 4: Save the Cropped PDF

Once you’re satisfied with the cropping, go to “File” and select “Export.” Choose “PDF” as the format and give your cropped file a new name.

Then, click “Save” to save the cropped PDF.

Using Adobe Acrobat to Crop a PDF

Adobe Acrobat is a powerful PDF editor that offers advanced features for manipulating PDFs.

Here’s how to crop a PDF using Adobe Acrobat:

Step 1: Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat

Launch Adobe Acrobat and open the PDF file you want to crop.

Step 2: Choose the Crop Tool

Go to the “Tools” menu and select “Crop Pages.” You can also use the keyboard shortcut Command + Shift + T.

Step 3: Select the Content

Click and drag your mouse to select the content you want to keep.

You can adjust the cropping area by dragging the handles.

Step 4: Crop the PDF

Once you’ve selected the content, click on “Crop” in the toolbar to crop the PDF.

You can preview the cropped PDF before saving.

Step 5: Save the Cropped PDF

Go to “File” and select “Save” to save the cropped PDF.

You can also choose “Save As” to give the cropped PDF a new name.

Using Third-Party Apps to Crop a PDF

If you don’t have Adobe Acrobat or want more advanced features than Preview, there are several third-party apps that can help you crop a PDF.

Here are a few examples:

PDF Expert

PDF Expert is a powerful PDF editor for Mac that allows you to crop, annotate, and edit PDF files.

Here’s how to crop a PDF using PDF Expert:

1. Open the PDF in PDF Expert.
2. Click on the “Crop” tool in the toolbar.
3. Select the content you want to keep by dragging the handles.
4. Click on “Apply” to crop the PDF.
5. Save the cropped PDF by going to “File” and selecting “Save.”

PDFsam Basic

PDFsam Basic is a free and open-source PDF editor that offers basic editing features, including cropping.

Here’s how to crop a PDF using PDFsam Basic:

1. Open the PDF in PDFsam Basic.
2. Select “Crop” from the sidebar.
3. Click and drag to select the content you want to keep.
4. Adjust the cropping area by dragging the handles.
5. Click on “Save” to save the cropped PDF.

Conclusion

Cropping a PDF on your Mac is a simple and easy process that can save you time and improve your workflow.

Whether you’re using Preview, Adobe Acrobat, or a third-party app, the process is similar and can be accomplished in just a few steps.

By cropping your PDFs, you can focus on the most important content and make your documents more presentable.

With these simple steps, you’ll be able to crop your PDFs like a pro and make your document editing experience a seamless one.