Compress PDF
Reduce PDF size by compressing JPEG photos or rebuilding pages as images, with your file processed locally in your browser and never uploaded.
Compression result
Text becomes an image and is no longer selectable or searchable. Links, bookmarks, interactive form fields and digital signatures are lost.
Your PDF is processed locally in your browser; the file is not uploaded. Light and Recommended preserve existing text, links, bookmarks and forms while re-encoding eligible JPEG photos. Documents containing only text or vector graphics usually shrink little. Object streams and document changes remove PDF/A conformance and invalidate digital signatures. Grayscale affects only re-encoded images unless pages are rebuilt as images. Check the downloaded PDF before sharing it.
How to make your PDF smaller
- To compress PDF files, choose one document or drag it into the drop zone, then check its displayed size and page count.
- Start with Recommended to keep existing text selectable. Choose Light when photo detail matters more than maximum size reduction.
- Optionally enter a target in MB. For a 500 KB attachment limit, enter 0.5; this tool uses 1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes.
- Use Smallest only if image-based pages are acceptable. Select 72, 110 or 150 DPI, and consider grayscale for scans where color is unnecessary.
- Select Compress, compare the sizes, then download a smaller result. Inspect fine print, photos and any features you need before sending it.
Practical reasons to compress a document
- Prepare a photo-heavy report for an email attachment limit.
- Try to fit a scanned application beneath a form's file-size ceiling.
- Create a lighter reference copy of a illustrated manual while keeping its digital text.
- Reduce color in re-encoded scan images when grayscale is sufficient.
- Use a PDF compressor without uploading the source document.
Questions about PDF compression
Which setting keeps text selectable?
Light and Recommended change eligible JPEG images while retaining existing text, links, bookmarks and form fields. They do not add OCR: a scan without a text layer still cannot be searched as text. Smallest turns all page content into images.
Can I compress PDF to 1 MB?
Enter 1 in Target size. The tool tries stronger settings if necessary, but cannot guarantee the limit. With Light or Recommended, image-based pages require the separate permission checkbox. If the target remains unmet, the smallest attempted result is reported.
Why did my file barely shrink?
Text, vector graphics and already compact JPEGs may offer little saving. Some images are skipped because their format or properties make them unsuitable for re-encoding. If no result is smaller than your original, downloading stays disabled.
How much quality will I lose?
JPEG compression can soften detail. In Smallest mode, 150 DPI retains more page detail than 72 DPI, usually at a larger size. A reduction from 4 MB to 3 MB saves 25% of the original size; it does not measure visual quality.
What happens to signatures and PDF/A?
Document rewriting invalidates digital signatures, and the output does not retain PDF/A conformance. Smallest also removes selectable text, active links, bookmarks and interactive form fields. Keep the original when those properties matter.
Can I process a large or protected PDF?
Available device memory limits large documents, especially when rendering pages. Encrypted PDFs are not supported; use an authorized unencrypted copy. Processing stays in the browser, and the document's contents are not sent to a server.