How to remove header and footer space from a pdf
- Step 1Measure the header and footer zone heights — In your viewer, estimate the height of the top header band and the bottom footer band in points. Word's default header/footer sits about 36 pt (0.5 inch) from the edge; the empty padding above/below content can be larger. Decide whether you want to remove just the empty space or the header/footer content too.
- Step 2Open the crop tool and drop the PDF — Load the document into the PDF Crop tool. It runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded. Free accounts handle PDFs up to 2 MB and 50 pages.
- Step 3Set the top value for the header — Enter the header-zone height (or a bit less, to keep the header) as
top. A larger value hides the header text; a smaller value removes only the padding above it. - Step 4Set the bottom value for the footer — Enter the footer-zone height as
bottom. Set it to 0 if you want to keep a page-number footer, or higher to hide it. The two values are independent. - Step 5Leave left and right at 0 for vertical-only trim — If you only want to remove header/footer space, set
leftandrightto 0 so the page width is unchanged and only the top/bottom are trimmed. - Step 6Run, then verify the content — Apply the crop and open the result. Because the same CropBox covers every page, check a page where body text runs close to the top or bottom to confirm you didn't clip the first or last line.
Header/footer crop recipes
Set top and bottom independently. Keep left and right at 0 for a vertical-only trim. Values in points; measure your own document.
| What you want | top (pt) | bottom (pt) | left / right |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remove empty header padding only | 20–40 | 0 | 0 / 0 |
| Hide the header text | ≥ header-zone height (e.g. 60) | 0 | 0 / 0 |
| Remove empty footer padding only | 0 | 20–40 | 0 / 0 |
| Hide both header and footer text | ≥ header height | ≥ footer height | 0 / 0 |
| Hide header, keep page-number footer | ≥ header height | 0 | 0 / 0 |
Crop vs. other ways to handle headers/footers
Cropping hides the zone visually. Other tools edit or rebuild the page.
| Goal | Cropping? | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Hide the header/footer band on screen | Yes — set a CropBox | This tool |
| Permanently remove (non-reversible) | Partly — CropBox is reversible | Flatten after cropping |
| Add NEW page numbers after trimming | No | PDF Page Numbers |
| Keep the page's printed size constant | No — visible area shrinks | PDF Resize |
| Strip document metadata too | No | Metadata Scrubber |
Cookbook
Top/bottom crop settings for header and footer removal. Left and right stay at 0 for a vertical-only trim; the same crop hits every page.
Remove empty header and footer padding
The header and footer zones are mostly empty white space. Trim ~30 pt off top and bottom to tighten the page without touching any text.
Inputs: top: 30 right: 0 bottom: 30 left: 0 Letter page (612 × 792) becomes: CropBox = (0, 30, 612, 732) → full width kept; 60 pt of empty vertical space gone
Hide the running header but keep the footer
There's a running title in the header you don't want, but the footer holds page numbers you need. Crop the top past the header text; leave the bottom at 0.
Inputs: top: 64 right: 0 bottom: 0 left: 0 → header (sitting ~36 pt from top) falls outside the CropBox; footer page number stays visible
Hide both header and footer text
For a clean reading copy you want neither the header nor the footer. Crop both past the content bands.
Inputs: top: 64 right: 0 bottom: 56 left: 0 → both bands hidden; body text remains. Verify the first/last body line isn't clipped.
Hide footer, then add fresh page numbers
Remove an old footer, then stamp new page numbers onto the cropped pages.
1. /pdf-tools/pdf-crop bottom: 50 (hide old footer) 2. /pdf-tools/pdf-page-numbers (add new numbers) → note: new numbers are placed relative to the CropBox area, so they sit inside the visible page
Make the removal permanent
Cropping is reversible by default. To stop a recipient revealing the hidden header/footer, flatten after cropping.
1. /pdf-tools/pdf-crop (top/bottom hide the bands) 2. /pdf-tools/pdf-flatten (rasterises visible area) → flattening drops any text layer; the page becomes an image of the cropped view
Edge cases and what actually happens
Crop hides the header/footer text, not just the space
By designCropping is blind to what's empty versus what's content — it hides everything outside the CropBox. If the header or footer text falls inside the cropped band, it's hidden too. That's often what you want; if you only meant to remove empty padding, reduce the value so it stops above the text.
The hidden header/footer is still in the file
PreservedCropping sets a CropBox; it doesn't delete the header/footer content. A recipient can remove the CropBox and the header/footer reappears. This makes it reversible but unsuitable as redaction. For permanent removal, flatten after cropping; for removing sensitive header/footer text, use the PDF PII Redactor.
Body text runs close to the top or bottom edge
ClippedDense documents sometimes have body text only a few points below the header or above the footer. A crop sized to hide the header can clip the first body line. Check a content-heavy page after cropping; if a line is clipped, re-run on the original with a smaller value.
Header/footer position varies across pages
By designThe same CropBox applies to all pages. If the header sits higher on some pages (e.g. a different first-page header in Word), one value may clip content on some pages and leave header text on others. Split out the differing pages with PDF Extract Pages and crop them separately if precision matters.
First page has no header (Word 'Different first page')
By designWord's 'Different first page' option leaves the cover without a header but adds one on page 2 onward. A uniform top crop hides the header on later pages but eats white space on the first page. Usually acceptable; if not, crop the first page separately after extracting it.
top + bottom exceeds the page height
invalid crop boxThe visible height is height − top − bottom. If you enter very large header and footer crops that add up to more than the page height, the CropBox collapses to zero or negative height and viewers may show a blank page. Keep the sum below the page height.
You want to renumber after cropping
SupportedAfter hiding an old footer, you can add fresh page numbers with PDF Page Numbers. The new numbers are positioned relative to the page's visible area, so they land inside the cropped view rather than in the hidden band.
File over the 2 MB free-tier limit
Free tier limitFree accounts cap PDFs at 2 MB and 50 pages. A text report with headers/footers is usually small, but image-rich or long documents can exceed it. Pro raises the limit to 50 MB / 500 pages.
Frequently asked questions
Will this remove the header and footer content, or just the empty space?
Either — it depends on how much you crop. Cropping hides everything outside the CropBox without judging what's empty. Crop only into the empty padding and the header/footer text stays; crop past the text band and the header/footer is hidden too. The content is never deleted, just hidden outside the visible area.
How do I remove the header but keep the footer page number?
Set top to the header-zone height (or a bit more, e.g. 64 pt) to push the header out of the CropBox, and leave bottom at 0 so the footer stays visible. The top and bottom inputs are independent, so this is exactly the kind of asymmetric trim the tool supports.
Is the header/footer removal permanent?
No — by default it's reversible. Cropping sets a CropBox that hides the bands; the original content is still in the file and can be revealed by removing the CropBox in an editor. To make it permanent, run PDF Flatten after cropping, which rasterises the visible page and drops the hidden content.
Can I re-add header/footer space later?
Yes. Since the page content (and its original geometry) is preserved beneath the CropBox, removing the CropBox in Adobe Acrobat restores the full page including the header/footer band. And because the tool never modifies your original file, you always have the un-cropped source to start over from.
Does removing header/footer space change the printed page size?
Yes — the visible (CropBox) area is what most printers print, so the printable region is smaller after cropping. The paper size you feed the printer is unchanged, but the content occupies a shorter area. If you need the printed page to stay a standard size, use PDF Resize to set the page dimensions instead.
Can I crop the header/footer on every page at once?
Yes, and that's the default — one CropBox is applied to all pages. This matches how headers and footers normally repeat uniformly. There's no per-page control, so if some pages have differently-placed headers (like Word's different first page), pick a value that works for the majority or split those pages out.
Should I set left and right to anything?
Leave them at 0 if you only want to trim the header/footer band — that keeps the full page width and changes only the vertical extent. Add left/right values only if you also want to remove side margins at the same time.
What if I clip the first or last line of body text?
That happens when the crop reaches past the header/footer into the content. Nothing is lost — the text is hidden, not deleted, and your original file is untouched — so re-run the tool on the source with a smaller top or bottom value. Leave a few points of buffer between the band and where the body text starts.
Can I add new page numbers after cropping off the old footer?
Yes. After hiding the old footer, use PDF Page Numbers to stamp fresh numbers. They're positioned relative to the page's visible area, so they appear inside the cropped view, not in the hidden band.
Is my document uploaded anywhere?
No. The PDF is parsed and cropped entirely in your browser — the file never leaves your device. Only an anonymous usage counter is recorded when you're signed in, never the content. That keeps internal reports and confidential documents private.
What units do the top and bottom values use?
Points. 72 pt = 1 inch, 36 pt = half an inch. Word's default header/footer sits about 36 pt from the page edge, so a top value around 50–64 pt usually clears the header text. Measure your own document to be precise.
How large a PDF can I process?
The free tier accepts up to 2 MB and 50 pages. Pro raises it to 50 MB / 500 pages, with higher tiers beyond. A header/footer crop is lightweight, so the constraint is the input file size, not the operation.
Privacy first
All PDF processing runs locally in your browser using PDF-lib and pdf.js. No file is ever uploaded — only metadata counters are saved for signed-in dashboard stats.