Compress a PDF
Shrink PDF files for email, upload forms and storage. Pick a compression level and compare the size before and after.
Add one or more PDF files.
or drop files here
Files never leave your device. Everything runs in your browser.
How to use it
- Click "Choose files" or drop one or more PDFs onto the page.
- Under "Compression", choose "Basic" or "Strong".
- Click "Compress PDF" and check the new size and the percentage saved.
- Click "Download", or "Download all (ZIP)" if you compressed several files. Each file also has its own small download button.
What it does
Basic: quality untouched
Rebuilds the file's internal structure without touching text or image quality. Best for documents made on a computer, though the savings vary and can be small.
Strong: biggest savings
Turns every page into a compressed image, which shrinks scans and photo-heavy files the most. Text can no longer be selected, searched or copied.
Before and after sizes
Each file shows its original size, its new size and the percentage saved.
No bigger files
If compression wouldn't make a file smaller, the original is kept and the page tells you so.
Several files at once
Compress a batch of PDFs in one go and download them one by one or together as a ZIP.
Compressed on your device
Compression runs in your browser, so the PDFs are not uploaded, and there's no watermark or daily limit.
Good to know
Which level should you use? A PDF exported from a word processor or spreadsheet is mostly text and vector graphics, so "Basic" is the safer choice: it keeps everything sharp and searchable, although the saving may be modest. A scanned contract or a PDF made from phone photos is really a stack of images, and that is where "Strong" makes the biggest difference.
Because "Strong" turns each page into an image, keep the original if you might need to edit, search or quote from it later. If a file is already compact, you may see "Could not be made smaller, original kept"; that means you get your file back unchanged rather than a bigger one. And if a scan is still too large after "Basic", run it again with "Strong".
Questions and answers
Why is my compressed PDF not much smaller?
"Basic" only rebuilds the file's structure and leaves text and images as they are, so documents that are already efficient shrink very little. If the PDF is a scan or full of photos, "Strong" gives much bigger savings, at the cost of selectable text.
Will compressing reduce the quality of my PDF?
With "Basic", text and image quality stay as they are. With "Strong", every page becomes a compressed image, so the text can no longer be selected, searched or copied.
Can I compress several PDFs at once?
Yes. Add several PDFs, choose a level and click "Compress PDF". You can download each file on its own or all of them in one ZIP.
Is it safe to compress confidential PDFs here?
The PDFs are compressed by your browser on your own device and are not uploaded to a server, so they never reach us. The smaller copies are saved only when you click a download button.
What does "Could not be made smaller, original kept" mean?
Some PDFs are already as compact as this method can make them. Rather than hand you a larger file, the tool keeps the original, so the download is the same file you added.
How can I get a PDF under an email size limit?
Try "Basic" first, and if the file is still too big, run it again with "Strong". If that's not enough, cut a long document into smaller parts with Split PDF and send them separately.