Compress a PDF to a smaller file size
A PDF made from a phone camera or an office scanner can easily weigh 10–50 MB, which is too big for many email inboxes and far too big for the “maximum 2 MB” box on a job, visa or university application. The Compress PDF tool reduces that size by re-saving every page as an efficiently compressed image at a sensible resolution.
Pick one of three levels — Low, Recommended or Extreme — and the tool shows the size before and after along with the percentage saved. If compression would actually make your file bigger, it tells you plainly and lets you keep the original.
All of the work is done by your browser. The PDF is never uploaded, which matters when it is a passport scan, a bank statement or a signed contract.
How to compress a PDF
- Drop your PDF onto the upload area or click to choose it. The page count and current size appear at the top.
- Choose a compression level. “Recommended” suits most documents; use “Extreme” when you must hit a strict size limit.
- Tick “Convert to black & white” for text scans where colour does not matter.
- Press “Compress PDF” and watch the progress bar as each page is processed.
- Compare the original and compressed sizes, then press “Download compressed PDF”.
Compress PDF features
Three clear levels
Low renders pages at 150 DPI with high JPEG quality, Recommended at 110 DPI, and Extreme at 72 DPI with stronger compression.
Before-and-after report
See the original size, the new size and the percentage saved before you download anything.
Honest results
If the compressed copy would be larger, the tool says so and offers your original instead of handing you a worse file.
Same page sizes
Each page keeps its exact dimensions and orientation, so the PDF prints exactly as before.
Grayscale option
Drop the colour from black-and-white scans for a cleaner look and a little extra saving.
Private and offline-friendly
Pages are rendered and compressed on your own device; nothing is sent over the internet.
How this PDF compressor works — and its trade-off
Each page is drawn at the resolution of the chosen level and saved as a JPEG image, and those images are placed into a new PDF with identical page sizes. For scans and photos this is very effective: a phone camera captures far more pixels than a printed page needs, and 110 DPI is still comfortable to read on screen and print.
The trade-off is that every page becomes a picture. Text can no longer be selected, copied or searched, hyperlinks and form fields disappear, and very small print can look softer, especially at the Extreme level. For digitally created documents — reports exported from Word, e-tickets, invoices — the original is usually already small and is better left as it is.
Why compression results vary so much
- Scanned or photographed pages shrink the most — often by well over half — because the original images carry far more detail than a document needs.
- Text-only PDFs may not shrink at all. Text is stored as tiny instructions plus a font, which is smaller than any picture of the page.
- Mixed documents fall in between: pages with photos get smaller while plain text pages can grow slightly.
- Colour and fine detail cost bytes. Busy backgrounds and colourful photos compress less than black text on white paper — try the grayscale option.
Tips for hitting a size limit
Start with Recommended and check the compressed size. If you still need to go smaller, switch to Extreme and tick black & white. If the file is still too big, remove pages the recipient does not need with Delete PDF Pages, or divide it into parts with Split PDF and upload them separately.
Building a PDF from phone photos? Shrink the photos first with the Image Compressor and then combine them with JPG to PDF — that keeps the file small from the start.
| Level | Resolution | JPEG quality | A4 page becomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 150 DPI | 80% | 1240 × 1754 px |
| Recommended | 110 DPI | 60% | 909 × 1286 px |
| Extreme | 72 DPI | 40% | 595 × 842 px |
Compress PDF FAQ
How do I compress a PDF for free?
Add the PDF above, choose a compression level and press “Compress PDF”. When it finishes, you see the new size and can download the smaller file. There is no sign-up, watermark or limit.
Will the text in my PDF still be searchable?
No. This compressor converts each page into an image, so text cannot be selected or searched afterwards. That is why it is best for scans and photo-heavy documents, which are not searchable anyway.
Why did my PDF get bigger instead of smaller?
PDFs that are mostly text and vector graphics are already very compact, and a picture of the page takes more space than the text itself. The tool detects this and recommends keeping your original.
How can I compress a PDF to under 1 MB or 200 KB?
Use the Extreme level and tick black & white. Fewer pages also means a smaller file, so remove pages you do not need. At the Extreme level a scanned page usually takes tens of kilobytes rather than megabytes, so check the result and adjust.
Is it safe to compress confidential PDFs here?
Yes. Your PDF is processed entirely in your browser and never uploaded, so no server ever receives a copy.
Does compression change the page size or layout?
No. Every page keeps its original dimensions and orientation; only the way its content is stored changes.