Page Size & Orientation

Overview

Page Size & Orientation changes the dimensions and orientation of selected pages. You can resize pages to a standard preset or custom dimensions, optionally scale the existing content to fit, and change the page orientation between portrait and landscape — all in a single operation.

This dialog combines what were previously two separate functions: Resize Pages and Change Page Orientation.

How to use

  1. Open a PDF document in Acrobat.
  2. Go to Plug-Ins > Pages > Page Size & Orientation.
  3. Select the page range to modify.
  4. Choose a preset page size or enter custom width and height values.
  5. Select the measurement unit.
  6. Optionally enable Scale content to fit to proportionally resize the page content, and choose a pivot point.
  7. If needed, choose an orientation change to apply after the resize.
  8. Click OK to apply the changes.

Page Size options

OptionDescription
Page range The pages to modify. Choose All pages, a From / To range, To end of file, or a Custom range (e.g. 1,3,5-12).
Preset sizes Common standard page sizes:
  • Letter — 8.5 × 11 inches
  • A4 — 210 × 297 mm
  • Legal — 8.5 × 14 inches
  • A3 — 297 × 420 mm
  • A5 — 148 × 210 mm
  • Tabloid — 11 × 17 inches
  • Custom — enter your own dimensions
Width / Height Custom page dimensions in the selected unit. These fields update automatically when you choose a preset, or you can type custom values.
Units Choose between Points, Inches, or Centimetres.
Scale content to fit When enabled, the page content is scaled to fit within the new page dimensions. When disabled, the page boundary changes but the content remains at its original size and position.
Pivot point The anchor point that remains fixed during scaling. Options: Centre, Top-Left, Top-Right, Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right.

Orientation options

Orientation changes are applied after any page size changes. They work by swapping the page width and height in the MediaBox. The page content is not rotated — only the page dimensions change.

OptionDescription
No change Do not modify page orientation (the default). Use this when you only need to resize.
Force Portrait Forces pages into portrait orientation (height greater than width). Pages that are already portrait are not modified.
Force Landscape Forces pages into landscape orientation (width greater than height). Pages that are already landscape are not modified.
Swap width and height Unconditionally swaps the width and height of each selected page, regardless of current orientation. A portrait page becomes landscape and vice versa.
Match existing Preserves each page's current orientation when resizing. If a page is currently landscape, the new size is applied in landscape (width and height swapped); portrait pages receive the new size as-is. This is especially useful when resizing a mixed-orientation document to a different paper size.

Tip

To convert a US Letter document to A4 with content properly scaled, choose the A4 preset and enable Scale content to fit. Leave orientation set to No change.

Tip

To change only the orientation without resizing, leave the page size fields at their defaults and select Force Portrait, Force Landscape, or Swap width and height.

Tip

When converting a mixed document (e.g. some pages portrait, some landscape) from Letter to A4, choose Match existing orientation with Scale content to fit enabled. Each page will receive the correct A4 dimensions for its orientation.

Note

Orientation changes swap the page dimensions but do not rotate the content. If you need the content to rotate along with the page, use Rotate instead.

Warning

Resizing pages without scaling content may cause text and graphics to be clipped if the new page size is smaller than the original. Preview the result before saving.

See also