Compress PDF: Reduce PDF Size Online
Shrink scans and photo-heavy PDFs to fit an email or upload limit. Set a target like 1 MB. Nothing leaves your device.
- Private: no upload
- Free, no sign-up
- PDF tools in your browser
Drop a PDF here, or tap to select
One PDF at a time. Max 100 MB. Nothing is uploaded.
Choose fileWhy is a PDF too big, and how does compressing help?
Scanned documents and PDFs full of photos are heavy because every page is a large picture. This tool redraws each page at a lower resolution, saves it as a JPEG and rebuilds the PDF, which usually makes scans and photo PDFs much smaller.
There is one trade-off you should know about: after compression each page is a picture, so text can no longer be selected or searched, and links and form fields are lost. If your PDF is mostly live text, it may not get smaller at all, and then the tool keeps your original.
What next? Need to combine files first? Use Merge PDF, then compress the result. Want fewer pages? Use Remove PDF pages.
How to compress a PDF
- 1
Add your PDF
Drop a PDF or tap to choose it.
- 2
Pick a preset
Light, Balanced, Strong, or Under 1 MB. Or set your own resolution, quality and maximum size.
- 3
Compress
Pages are redrawn one at a time. With a size limit the tool tries up to 5 passes.
- 4
Check and download
See the size before and after, and look at page 1 of the result.
Which setting to try first
Sizes depend on the content. Scans shrink the most, text-only PDFs the least.
| Setting | Resolution and quality | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Light | 150 DPI, quality 75 | Documents you may print |
| Balanced | 120 DPI, quality 65 | Most scans and email attachments |
| Strong | 96 DPI, quality 50 | Tight upload limits, screen reading only |
| Under 1 MB | Automatic, up to 5 passes | Portals with a 1 MB limit |
What you get with the compress pdf
Target size
Set a limit like 500 KB or 1 MB and the tool lowers quality and resolution until the PDF fits.
Never bigger
If the compressed copy would not be smaller than your file, your original is kept.
Before and after
See both sizes and a preview of page 1 before you download.
Private
The PDF is processed in your browser and never uploaded.
Private by design
Your images are processed by code running in your own browser. They are not uploaded to our servers. You can check this yourself: open your browser’s Network tab while you work.
Fast, even offline-fast
Processing happens on your own device, so there is no upload wait and no queue. Settings update the results instantly.
Free, no sign-up
No watermarks, no account and no daily limit.
All popular formats
Works with JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, HEIC, GIF, BMP and SVG files up to 25 MB each.
Common ways people use it
Email attachments
Get a scanned contract under the mail size limit.
Government and job portals
Fit upload limits like 1 MB or 2 MB.
Phone scans
Shrink a multi-page scan from a scanner app.
Archiving
Store large scan collections in less space.
Frequently asked questions
+Will I still be able to select text?
No. Compression turns each page into a picture. Keep your original if you need searchable text.
+Why did my PDF not get smaller?
PDFs made from text are already compact. When the result would be larger, the tool keeps your original and says so.
+Can I compress to an exact size?
Set a maximum size such as 1000 KB. The tool lowers quality and resolution in up to 5 passes and tells you if it could not reach it.
+Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything runs in your browser.
More free PDF and image tools
Merge PDFs
Join up to 20 PDFs and images in the order you choose, and take only the pages you need. Nothing leaves your device.
Split PDF
Split one PDF into many by clicking pages or typing ranges. Nothing leaves your device.
Images to PDF
Turn photos, scans and screenshots into one clean PDF. Large photos are re-encoded automatically so the PDF stays small.
PDF to JPG
Turn PDF pages into images, as a ZIP or as one PDF of pictures. See thumbnails before you download. Nothing leaves your device.
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