How to resize a PDF
Two different jobs share this name: changing the paper size, and making the file smaller. Here is which is which, and how to do each.
Which kind of resize do you mean?
Page size is the paper the document is laid out on, such as US Letter (8.5 by 11 inches) or A4 (210 by 297 mm). You change it when a document made for one country has to print in another. File size is how many megabytes the file takes, which matters for email and upload limits. They are separate: changing the page size does not make the file smaller.
Changing the page size
The resize PDF tool moves every page onto new paper. Pick the new size, then press Resize PDF.
- Sizes: US Letter, A4, US Legal, A3, A5 or Tabloid.
- Orientation: same as each page, portrait or landscape.
- Margin: none (fill the page), 5, 10 or 20 mm.
- What happens to the content: it is scaled up or down, keeps its proportions, and is centred. When the new paper has a different shape, you get white space at the sides or at the top and bottom. It is never stretched.
- Text stays text: pages are not turned into pictures, so text stays sharp and selectable, and links and form fields move with the content.
In our test, a three-page A4 PDF became US Letter with the content at 94% of its size, and A5 with the content at 70%. The note under the result tells you the scale used. The file keeps its name with the size added, such as report-letter.pdf.
Everything happens inside your browser tab, so the PDF never leaves your device.
If you meant file size
The resize tool does not shrink the file. In the same test, the Letter version was 17% larger than the A4 original (4.55 KB against 4.0 KB), a small PDF made of plain text. To make a PDF smaller, use the PDF compressor, and read how to compress a PDF without losing quality for what to expect.
If you meant cutting away the margins
Changing the paper size scales the whole page. To remove white margins or part of the page instead, see how to crop a PDF.
Questions
Does resizing a PDF make the file smaller?
No. The resize PDF tool changes the paper size and can leave the file slightly larger. For a smaller file, use the PDF compressor.
How do I change a PDF from A4 to Letter?
Drop it on the resize PDF tool, choose US Letter, and press Resize PDF. The content is scaled to fit and centred.
Will the text get blurry?
No. The text and drawings are placed on the new page with a scale, not turned into pictures, so they stay sharp.
Can I resize many PDFs at once?
Yes. Drop them all on the tool; the same size and margin apply to each.