Make a PDF smaller so it fits through email attachment limits and upload forms. The compressor re-encodes the images in your PDF at a size and quality you choose, then tidies up the file structure without changing its text.
How to compress a PDF
- Drop your PDF on the page or choose it from your device.
- Pick a level: Light, Balanced (recommended), Strong or Maximum, or set the image quality yourself. Select Estimate to see the new size first.
- Select Compress PDF and download the smaller file.
Why no upload matters
The files people compress are often the ones they are about to send: scanned IDs, tax documents, signed contracts. Here the PDF is compressed in your browser and never uploaded, so the only copy that leaves your device is the one you choose to send.
Embedded XMP metadata and page thumbnails can be removed as part of compression (on by default).
What compresses well
- Scans and image-heavy PDFs: photos are re-encoded as JPEG and scaled down (Light keeps up to 2600 pixels on the long edge, Balanced 1700, Strong 1150).
- Files with wasted space: a lossless pass also packs the internal structure and removes unused objects.
- Grayscale: an option turns images grey, which saves more space for documents that do not need colour.
- Maximum turns every page into a compressed image. Text stays searchable through an invisible text layer, but it is no longer sharp vector text.
Limits
- Savings depend on the content. Image-heavy files shrink a lot; files that are mostly text shrink very little.
- Images in unusual colour formats (CMYK, indexed or 16-bit) and very small images are kept as they are.
- If compressing would not make the file smaller, you get the original back and are told so.
Frequently asked questions
How do I reduce the size of a PDF?
Drop the PDF here, keep the Balanced level and select Compress PDF. For a smaller file, try Strong or Maximum.
Will compressing make my PDF blurry?
Light and Balanced keep images sharp for reading and printing. Strong and Maximum trade sharpness for size; use Estimate to compare before you download.
Is the text affected?
With Light, Balanced and Strong, the text is left untouched. Maximum turns pages into images with an invisible text layer, so the text is still searchable but not vector text.
Is my PDF uploaded to compress it?
No. Compression runs in your browser on your own device. Nothing is sent to a server.
Why did my PDF barely get smaller?
It is probably mostly text or already optimized. Compression mainly saves space on images, so text-only files have little to gain.
Can I choose the exact quality?
Yes. Switch to Custom quality to set the image quality and the maximum image size in pixels yourself.