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Compress a PDF
Reduce the file size of a PDF by shrinking the images inside it. Pick how much, see the new size before you save. Free, no upload, runs in your browser.
How to compress a PDF
Three steps, and your file stays on your device the whole time.
- 1
Drop a PDF into the drop box
Or click to browse for it. Nothing is uploaded.
- 2
Pick Balanced or Strong
Each shows the size you would get, measured on your file.
- 3
Click Save and download the smaller PDF
The smaller copy is made in your browser. Your original stays as it was.
When to compress a PDF
A PDF that is too big to send is nearly always big because of its pictures. These are the usual ones.
An email that will not send
Gmail stops attachments at 25 MB and Outlook at 20 MB, and a PDF of scans or photos is often over that. Each level shows the size you would get before you save, so you know it fits before you attach it.
An upload form with a size limit
Job applications, visa and tax portals, and school sites often take files of 2 MB or 5 MB at most. Compare the size on each level with the limit, and save the one that fits.
A document scanned with a phone
Scanner apps and phone cameras save every page as a large photo, so ten pages can pass 30 MB. Those pictures are far sharper than a screen or a printer needs, and that extra sharpness is what gets trimmed.
Slides exported to PDF
PowerPoint and Keynote put photos into the PDF at full size, even where a slide shows them small. Each picture is reduced to the size it is shown at, and the text on the slides stays sharp.
The same picture on every page
Some programs store a logo or a background once for every page. Those copies are merged into one before anything else, with no loss at all, which alone can cut such a file to a fraction of its size.
No catch
Compress as many PDFs as you like
Shrink one scan or a hundred. There is no daily limit and nothing to sign up for, and your files stay on your computer or phone.
- Daily limitNoneUse it as much as you like.
- Sign upNeverNothing to fill in.
- WatermarkNeverYour file comes back clean.
- New sizeBefore you saveMeasured on your file for each level.
- Your fileStays on your computer or phoneIt never goes anywhere.
- Daily limitOften 1 or 2 free a dayThen a paid plan.
- Sign upOftenTo keep going or to download.
- WatermarkSome add oneUnless you pay to remove it.
- New sizeAfter it comes backKnown once their site is done.
- Your fileGoes to their computerAnd comes back to you.
Related tools
Each one works the same way: free, in your browser, with nothing uploaded.
Compressing PDFs, answered
Your files stay privateIs my file uploaded anywhere?+
No. Your PDF is read from your device and the images inside it are re-encoded by your browser. It never leaves your computer or phone.
Is it free to compress a PDF here?+
Yes. There is no watermark, no file limit, and no account. The work happens in your browser, so there is nothing for us to charge for.
How does it make the file smaller?+
Most large PDFs are large because of their images: scans, photos, screenshots. The tool lowers the resolution of images that are bigger than they need to be for the size they are printed at, and saves them as JPEG. Text, fonts, links, and bookmarks are left exactly as they were.
Why did my file barely shrink?+
If your PDF is mostly text, or its images are already small, there is not much to reduce. Black and white scans are stored in fax-style formats that are already compact. The tool shows the size before you save, and you keep your original if it would not get smaller.
Can I compress a PDF to under 1 MB or 100 KB?+
Each level shows the exact size it gives, measured on your file before you save, so you can pick the one under the limit. There is no box to type a target, since the size depends on what is in the file.
Will text stay sharp?+
Yes. Text is never turned into an image. Only pictures are re-encoded, and even at Strong most look the same on a screen.
Which level should I pick?+
Balanced suits email and sharing, and still prints well. Strong gives the smallest file when size matters most. Each card shows the exact size you would get, so you can compare before saving.
Does it work on iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows?+
Yes. It runs in any current browser, Chrome, Safari, Edge, or Firefox, on a computer, a phone, or a tablet. There is nothing to install and no account to make.
Is there a file size limit?+
No. There is no set limit and no daily cap. Your own device does the work, and files of a few hundred megabytes are fine on a laptop.