Compress PDF
Shrink big PDFs for email and upload portals without turning them into pictures — choose a level, or type the size you need and let the tool get there.
- Files never leave your device
- 100% free
- No sign-up
- No watermark
- Works offline after first load
or drag & drop one or more PDFs here
How to compress a PDF
- Select or drop one or more PDFs — each appears as a card with a preview.
- Pick a level (Less, Recommended or Extreme), keep text selectable or use the scanned-document mode, and optionally set a maximum size.
- Click Compress PDF — each card shows how much it shrank, and you can download the files one by one or as a .zip.
Want more detail? Read the full guide: How to Compress a PDF and Reduce Its File Size
About Compress PDF
Shrink PDFs that are too big to email or upload — without turning them into pictures. By default the compressor re-encodes the images inside the PDF at a sensible resolution and tidies its structure, so text stays selectable and searchable, and links and form fields keep working.
Pick Less, Recommended or Extreme, set your own resolution and quality, make images grayscale, or simply type the size you need — the tool tries gentle settings first and only goes as far as necessary. For scans there’s a mode that turns pages into compact images. Compress many files at once; each card shows how much it shrank, and nothing is uploaded.
Good for
- Getting a PDF under an email or portal upload limit
- Shrinking image-heavy reports and brochures while keeping text searchable
- Making scanned documents much smaller
Tip: Mostly-text PDFs are already compact. If one barely shrinks, try grayscale images or the scanned-document mode.
Frequently asked questions
Will the text stay selectable?
Yes, by default. “Keep text selectable” only shrinks the images inside the PDF, so text, links and form fields stay as they are. The “Scanned document” mode turns pages into images for the smallest files, and then text can’t be selected.
Can I compress a PDF to a specific size?
Yes. Under More options, tick “Aim for a maximum size” and enter a size in KB or MB. The tool tries gentler settings first and only goes as far as needed; if the size can’t be reached, you get the smallest version possible.
What do the levels mean?
Less keeps images sharp at 200 DPI, Recommended uses 150 DPI (good for screen and office printing), and Extreme uses 96 DPI for the smallest files. Custom lets you pick the resolution and JPEG quality yourself.
Can I compress several PDFs at once?
Yes. Add as many PDFs as you like; each is compressed on its own, and you can download them one by one or all together as a ZIP.
Why didn’t my PDF get smaller?
PDFs that are mostly text, or whose images are already compressed, have little left to remove. In that case the original is kept — a file is never made larger. Try Extreme, grayscale images or the scanned-document mode.
Can I compress password-protected PDFs?
Yes. Enter the password on the file. Protected PDFs are rebuilt with their pages as images and the result has no password — if that wouldn’t make the file smaller, the original is kept.
Is it safe to compress confidential documents?
Yes. Compression runs in your browser and the file never leaves your device, so nothing is stored on a server or seen by anyone else.
How much smaller will my PDF get?
It depends on what's inside. Files full of photos or scanned pages usually shrink the most; documents that are mostly text change very little. Each card shows the exact before-and-after size.