Compress PDF

Reduce PDF file size while keeping quality you control.

Drop a file here, or click to browse
PDF · up to 50 MB

Compression level

Lower means smaller files. Below 100 DPI text stays sharp but photos soften.
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Make your PDF smaller without ruining it

The compress PDF tool reduces the size of a heavy document so it is easy to email, upload or store. You choose how hard to squeeze it. Light compression keeps the pages looking almost the same, while stronger settings save far more space and suit files that are only going to be read on screen.

Big PDFs are usually big because of the pictures inside them. This tool works mainly on those images and on parts of the file nobody needs, so a scanned document can often drop to a fraction of its old size. When it finishes you are shown exactly how much was saved.

What this PDF compressor gives you

You choose the level
Pick gentle, balanced or strong compression to match how the file will be used.
See what you saved
The result screen shows the old size, the new size and the percentage saved.
Text stays readable
Words are not turned into pictures, so they stay crisp and still searchable.
Fits email limits
Get under the usual attachment cap without splitting the document up.
Page layout untouched
Page count, page size and the position of everything stay the same.
Private handling
Files are deleted from the server automatically once you are done.

How to compress a PDF

1
Upload the file
Drop your heavy PDF into the box above.
2
Choose a level
Less compression for printing, more compression for email and web.
3
Download
Check the saving shown on screen and save the lighter file.

Why people like it

Attachments finally go through
Uploads to portals and forms finish faster
Less space used on your drive and in the cloud
Free with no watermark added
Pages open quicker for the reader
You stay in control of the quality

Good for

Scanned documents Visa and job applications Photo heavy reports Brochures and catalogues Portfolio files Website downloads

Questions people ask

It depends on what is inside. Files full of scans or photos often shrink a lot. A file that is mostly plain text is already small, so there is less to remove.

If the file will be printed, stay on the gentler setting. If it is only going to be read on a screen or sent by email, the stronger setting is usually fine.

You can, but there is little point. The second pass saves very little and the images can start to look rough. Better to start again and pick a stronger level.

Yes. Real text in the document is kept as text, so you can still search it and copy from it after compressing.

Compress PDF, reduce PDF file size, shrink a PDF, make a PDF smaller for email, optimise PDF online free. No installation and no account, with the size saving shown before you download.