How to Crop a PDF in Preview: All Things to Know
Introduction:
The macOS built-in app Preview lets you easily view and edit both PDFs and image files. Learning how to crop a PDF in Preview makes it easy to trim unwanted areas, emphasize key sections, and improve the overall clarity of your PDF. This guide will walk you through how to crop a PDF on Mac and explain the reasons and solutions when cropping fails.

Can You Crop a PDF in Preview?

Can you crop a PDF in Preview? Many users often wonder this. The answer is Yes! You can crop a PDF in Preview, but with some limitations. When you edit a PDF with Preview, the crop feature only hides unwanted areas rather than permanently deleting them. This means the original content still exists in the file and can be recovered using other PDF tools.

Anyhow, Preview is best for quick adjustments, visual cleanup, and temporary edits rather than secure or permanent PDF cropping. Let’s learn in the coming section the detailed steps to crop a PDF in Preview.

How to Crop a PDF in Preview

Now that you understand the basics of cropping PDFs and Preview’s limitations, it’s time to examine the process itself. The steps below show how to quickly and efficiently crop a PDF in Preview on a Mac for everyday use.

Discover how to crop a PDF in Preview on Mac.

Step 1. Double-click the PDF file to open it in Preview by default. You can also right-click the file and pick Open With. Then, select Preview.

Step 2. Tap the Show Markup Toolbar button (looks like a pencil tip) in the toolbar. Then, hit the Rectangular Selection tool.

Step 3. Click and drag to draw a rectangle over the PDF area you want to retain. Be very particular with your selection. As everything outside the range will be cropped out.

Step 4. Once you mark the selection, navigate to the menu bar. Click Tools, then choose Crop, or press Command + K. By doing so, your PDF will crop to the selected area.

Step 5. Click File and select Save to save the cropped PDF.

Why Can’t I Crop a PDF in Preview? How to Fix?

If cropping still doesn’t work, you could wonder, “Why can’t I crop a PDF in Preview?” Well, Preview offers a safe, secure, and reliable solution to crop images or PDFs without hassle. However, it’s designed for basic viewing and notes, not for permanent or secure PDF editing. Because of these reasons, you may find yourself unable to crop a PDF in Preview.

Let’s take a closer look at these problems and provide detailed ways to resolve them.

️❌ No Selection is Made

The Crop option stays greyed out if you haven’t selected an area of the image. Preview requires a selected portion before cropping.

️❌ Preview App Bugs or Glitches

Temporary bugs or glitches in Preview may make the crop feature stop working or become unresponsive.

️❌ Corrupted Image or PDF File

Preview may not crop a file correctly if it is damaged or incomplete.

️❌ macOS System Issues

System or macOS bugs can cause Preview to malfunction, including crop issues.

️❌ Crop Only Conceals, Doesn’t Delete

Preview only hides the cropped portion rather than removing it, leaving the content intact. Because the hidden parts aren’t deleted, they can be recovered with advanced PDF tools.

️❌ Non-Destructive Editing Design

Preview is designed to prevent destructive edits. So it doesn’t support permanent PDF cropping.

Troubleshooting Steps to Fix the "Can’t Crop in Preview” Issue

After identifying the plausible causes encountered when using Preview. Let’s explore effective, practical solutions to address them.

Fix 1. Resolve Can’t Crop Image Issue in Preview

Often, Mac users fail to find the Crop option, or it appears greyed out in the Tools menu. Here’s what you can do.

Step 1. Select the area to crop. Locate the Show Markup Toolbar icon in the toolbar and select it.

Note: If you cannot find the button, go to the Apple Menu in the upper-left corner and click View in the menu bar. Then select the Show Markup Toolbar icon from the dropdown menu.

Step 2. Tap the Selection Tools and select one from Rectangular Selection, Elliptical Selection, Lasso Selection, or Smart Lasso to determine the particular area.

Step 3. Now, you can find the Crop option to crop your image.

Fix 2. Repair Corrupted PDF or Image Files

At times, the file you’re trying to crop may be damaged. If the file is damaged, using third-party repair tools can help resolve the issue. Here are some popular tools that can assist you.

Fix 3. Resolve Preview App Bugs

Restart the application, then reopen your PDF file or image to address any Preview app bugs. Here’s how.

Step 1. To open Preview, look for its icon in the Dock or Applications folder.

Step 2. Press the Control button on your keyboard. And hit the Preview icon.

Step 3. From the list, click Quit to close the app.

Step 4. Click the Preview icon in the Dock to launch it again. Open the image or PDF file you want to crop and verify whether the issue has been resolved.

Fix 4. Restart Your Mac

Should the above methods not work, reboot your Mac. This step can fix hidden system issues disrupting Preview’s operation. This is how you can restart your Mac.

Step 1. At the top-left corner, click the Apple icon.

Step 2. Pick Restart… from the dropdown menu.

Step 3. Press Restart again to confirm the action.

Step 4. As soon as your Mac reboots, open Preview and try cropping the image or PDF again.

Fix 5. Update your Mac

When nothing else works, try updating your Mac. Outdated system software can result in compatibility issues with Preview. Ensure your Mac runs the newest macOS version for optimal stability. Here’s how to update your Mac.

Step 1. Locate the Apple icon at the upper-left corner of the screen. And click it.

Step 2. Choose System Settings… from the dropdown menu.

Step 3. Navigate to the System Settings window, then under General settings, locate the Software Update option.

Step 4. Press the Install Now button if an update is available.

After the macOS firmware update is complete, relaunch Preview and try cropping your image or PDF.

Bonus Tip: Get the Best PDF Readers and Enjoy Reading

You can crop a PDF in Preview, and we’ve also explained the causes and fixes for why you can’t crop a PDF in Preview. However, since Preview only hides content rather than deleting it, you may want a safer alternative among the best PDF readers for Mac. In that case, SwifDoo PDF is a strong option.

SwifDoo PDF for Mac is a powerful, all-inclusive PDF management tool designed for smooth reading and advanced editing. Its intuitive interface enables safe cropping, editing, and annotating. You can edit PDF text on Mac, convert files, compress documents, and handle PDFs efficiently, making it a dependable tool for all PDF needs.

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Conclusion

Cropping PDFs is a common task on a Mac to improve document readability and presentation. Cropping a PDF streamlines sharing, printing, and document organization. Knowing how to crop a PDF in Preview makes it simple to trim unnecessary parts on a Mac.

Although Preview is useful for temporary edits, understanding its limitations and workarounds ensures smoother editing. For more secure or permanent cropping, using a dedicated PDF management tool like SwifDoo PDF for Mac can save time and effort!