---
title: Selecting what to parse | Developer Documentation
---

By default LlamaParse will extract all the visible content of every page of a document



## Parsing only some pages

You can specify the pages you want to parse by passing specific page numbers as a comma-separated list in the `target_pages` argument. Pages are numbered starting at `0`.

- [Python](#tab-panel-453)
- [API](#tab-panel-454)

```
parser = LlamaParse(
  target_pages="0,1,2,22,33"
)
```

Terminal window

```
curl -X 'POST' \
  'https://api.cloud.llamaindex.ai/api/v1/parsing/upload'  \
  -H 'accept: application/json' \
  -H 'Content-Type: multipart/form-data' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LLAMA_CLOUD_API_KEY" \
  --form 'target_pages="0,1,2,22,33"' \
  -F 'file=@/path/to/your/file.pdf;type=application/pdf'
```

The range syntax is also supported `target_pages=0-2,6-22,33`.



## Parsing only a targeted area of a document

You can specify an area of a document that you want to parse. This can be helpful to remove headers and footers.

To do so you need to provide the bounding box margin expressed as a ratio compare to the page size between 0 and 1 in `bbox_left`, `bbox_right`, `bbox_top` and `bbox_bottom`.

Examples:

- To not parse the top 10% of a document: `bbox_top=0.1`
- To not parse the top 10% and bottom 20% of a document: `bbbox_top=0.1` and `bbox_bottom=0.2`,

* [Python](#tab-panel-455)
* [API](#tab-panel-456)

```
parser = LlamaParse(
  bbox_left=0.2
)
```

Terminal window

```
curl -X 'POST' \
  'https://api.cloud.llamaindex.ai/api/v1/parsing/upload'  \
  -H 'accept: application/json' \
  -H 'Content-Type: multipart/form-data' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LLAMA_CLOUD_API_KEY" \
  --form 'bbox_left=0.2' \
  -F 'file=@/path/to/your/file.pdf;type=application/pdf'
```



## Bounding box (legacy)

We support a deprecated way of doing so where it is possible to provide the bounding box margin in clockwise order from the top in a comma separated string in the `bounding_box` arguments. The margins are expressed as a ratio compare to the page size between 0 and 1.

Examples:

- To not parse the top 10% of a document: `bounding_box="0.1,0,0,0"`
- To not parse the top 10% and bottom 20% of a document: `bounding_box="0.1,0,0.2,0"`

* [Python](#tab-panel-457)
* [API](#tab-panel-458)

```
parser = LlamaParse(
  bounding_box="0.1,0.4,0.2,0.3"
)
```

Terminal window

```
curl -X 'POST' \
  'https://api.cloud.llamaindex.ai/api/v1/parsing/upload'  \
  -H 'accept: application/json' \
  -H 'Content-Type: multipart/form-data' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LLAMA_CLOUD_API_KEY" \
  --form 'bounding_box="0.1,0.4,0.2,0.3"' \
  -F 'file=@/path/to/your/file.pdf;type=application/pdf'
```



## Limiting number of page to parse

If you want to limit the maximum amount of pages to parse you can use the parameter `max_pages`. LlamaParse will stop parsing the document after the specified pages.

- [Python](#tab-panel-459)
- [API](#tab-panel-460)

```
parser = LlamaParse(
  max_pages=25
)
```

Terminal window

```
curl -X 'POST' \
  'https://api.cloud.llamaindex.ai/api/v1/parsing/upload'  \
  -H 'accept: application/json' \
  -H 'Content-Type: multipart/form-data' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LLAMA_CLOUD_API_KEY" \
  --form 'max_pages=25' \
  -F 'file=@/path/to/your/file.pdf;type=application/pdf'
```