Compress PDF
Reduce PDF file size.
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter or upload leaves your device.
What the PDF compressor does
The PDF compressor rebuilds a document with every page turned into a compressed JPG image. It is meant for files that are too heavy to email or to upload to a portal with a size cap, which is most often a scanned document or a PDF full of photos.
That method works well on pages that are already pictures, but it changes what the file can do. Text stops being selectable and searchable, and links and form fields go. Keep your original as well if you might need those later.
How to use the PDF compressor
Make a PDF smaller by turning each page into a compressed image.
- Read the note at the top: text becomes part of an image and is no longer selectable.
- Drop a PDF and choose a level: Strong, Balanced or Light.
- Press Compress PDF. If the result isn’t meaningfully smaller, we tell you and suggest keeping your original.
Understanding the results
Each level sets two things: how sharply a page is drawn and how hard the image is compressed. Strong draws pages at 72 DPI and saves them at 50% JPG quality. Balanced uses 110 DPI and 65%, and Light uses 150 DPI and 78%. Every page keeps its original paper size, so the document prints at the same dimensions.
When the new file is at least 5% smaller, you see the size before and after and the percentage saved, then a download named with -compressed added. If the saving is under 5%, the tool warns you. It still offers the slightly smaller file, but if the result came out larger than your original, no download is shown at all.
Questions
Which PDFs shrink the most?
Scanned documents and image-heavy files. Text-only PDFs are usually already small and may not shrink at all.
Why would a PDF get bigger?
A text-based page is stored as compact drawing instructions. Replacing it with a picture of the page can take more space, not less.
What do I lose?
Selectable and searchable text, links and form fields. Keep the original if you need those.
Which level should I choose?
Balanced suits most documents. Use Strong for email attachments where size matters most, and Light when small text must stay crisp.
Can it open a password-protected PDF?
No. The tool shows a message asking you to remove the password first.
Is my PDF sent to a server?
No. Compression happens in your browser.