Compress PDF

A free online PDF compressor that works inside your browser. Choose a PDF, pick Light, Recommended or Strong, or set an exact size limit such as 200 KB, and get a smaller PDF that is easier to email, upload to a form or share. Pictures are resized to the resolution each level needs, embedded fonts are rebuilt to hold only the characters in use, and duplicate and leftover data is removed, while text and vector graphics stay exactly as they were. Your file is never uploaded, never stored and never seen by anyone else.

Compress a PDF to a specific size

Compress PDF to 200 KB · Compress PDF to 300 KB · Compress PDF to 500 KB

How to compress a PDF

1. Press Choose a PDF file, or drop your PDF onto the box.
2. Pick a compression level: Light, Recommended or Strong.
3. Press Compress PDF. You see the size before and after, and the size each of the three levels would give, so you can pick the one you want.
4. Press Download compressed PDF. Not small enough? Pick Strong and compress again.

Which compression level to choose

Light

Best picture quality with a smaller saving. Pictures are kept at about 220 pixels per inch at the size they appear on the page, which still prints well. Choose this for portfolios, brochures and documents you will print.

Recommended

The right choice for most PDFs. Pictures are resized to about 150 pixels per inch at the size they appear, which still looks sharp on a laptop or phone, and re-saved at a quality that is hard to tell apart from the original. Ideal for reducing PDF file size for email, job applications, visa and government forms, and upload portals with a size limit.

Strong

The smallest PDF possible, with pictures at about 72 pixels per inch. They become visibly softer when you zoom in, but text stays exactly as sharp as before. Use it when a website or email will not accept anything larger.

What makes a PDF file so large?

Almost always, pictures. A single photo from a modern phone can be several megabytes, and a scanned document stores every page as a picture. Text, on the other hand, takes up very little space. That is why this PDF compressor concentrates on pictures: it works out how large each one is actually shown on the page, lowers its resolution to match the level you chose, and saves it again more efficiently, then cleans out data an earlier editor left behind and nothing uses any more.

Fonts are the other big cause, especially in PDFs saved from Word, PowerPoint and similar apps: they often carry space for thousands of characters when only a few dozen are used. The compressor rebuilds each embedded font to hold just the characters in use, so every letter looks exactly the same in a much smaller file.

Text, vector drawings, links and page layout are left untouched, so text stays crisp, selectable and searchable. Screenshots and diagrams that would lose sharpness are left as they are unless compressing them saves a great deal.

Making a PDF small enough to email or upload

• Gmail: attachments up to 25 MB.
• Outlook.com: attachments up to 20 MB.
• Online forms and portals: often 1 MB to 10 MB; the limit is usually shown next to the upload button.

Start with Recommended. If the file is still over the limit, compress the original again with Strong. Still too big? Use Split PDF to send it in parts, or remove pages you do not need first.

Your PDF never leaves your device

Most online PDF compressors upload your document to their servers to shrink it. This one does all the work inside your browser, so the file is never sent anywhere, and nothing is stored when you close the page. That makes it safe for contracts, bank statements, medical records, ID documents and anything else you would rather keep private.

What it does

• Reduce PDF file size with three levels: Light, Recommended and Strong
• Or compress to an exact size limit, like 200 KB, with the best quality that fits
• Resizes photos and scans to the resolution each level needs
• Rebuilds embedded fonts to hold only the characters used, with no visible change
• Removes duplicate images and fonts, and data left behind by earlier edits
• Shows the size before and after, and explains exactly what was made smaller
• Your file never leaves your device - nothing is uploaded or stored

Questions

How do I compress a PDF?

Choose or drop your PDF into the box, pick a compression level, and press Compress PDF. When it finishes you see the size before and after; press Download compressed PDF to save it. Recommended suits most files.

Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?

No. The PDF is compressed by your own browser on your own device. It is never sent to our server or anyone else's, unlike most online PDF compressors, which upload your file to shrink it.

How much smaller will my PDF get?

It depends on what is inside. PDFs full of photos or scanned pages usually shrink a lot, often to a fraction of their size. PDFs that are mostly text are usually small already, so there is little to gain, and the tool tells you when that is the case.

Why is a PDF from Word or PowerPoint so large?

Often because of its fonts. Office apps embed fonts with room for thousands of characters even when a document uses only a few dozen. This compressor rebuilds those fonts to hold just the characters in use, which can halve a text-heavy PDF without changing how a single letter looks.

Will compressing reduce the quality?

Text and drawings are never changed, and fonts are rebuilt so every letter looks exactly the same. Only pictures lose detail: Light keeps them close to the original, Recommended is hard to tell apart on screen, and Strong makes them visibly softer in exchange for the smallest file.

Which compression level should I choose?

Recommended for most files, including anything you will email or upload. Light when the pictures matter, such as a portfolio or a document you will print. Strong when you need the smallest file possible and picture quality is less important.

Why do two levels give the same size?

The levels differ only in how much pictures are reduced. If a PDF has no large pictures, or its pictures are already at the resolution a level aims for, two levels can produce exactly the same file, and the tool labels it that way. Font and clean-up savings are the same at every level, because they never change how the document looks.

How do I compress a PDF to a specific size, like 200 KB?

Choose Exact size, type the limit or pick one of the common sizes, and press Compress PDF. The tool tries stronger picture settings step by step and keeps the best-quality version that fits under the limit. If the PDF cannot get that small, you get the smallest possible file and an explanation of what is taking up the space.

How do I make a PDF small enough to email?

Compress it with Recommended, and if it is still too large, try Strong. Gmail accepts attachments up to 25 MB and Outlook.com up to 20 MB. If a file is still too big after Strong, use Split PDF to send it in parts.

Why did my PDF not get any smaller?

Usually because it was already well optimised: no large pictures, and fonts that were already trimmed. A few rare picture formats are also left alone. You never get a bigger file back, and the tool shows exactly what it found.

Will the text still be searchable?

Yes. Text is not touched or turned into an image, so it stays selectable, searchable and readable by screen readers.

Can I compress a scanned PDF?

Yes. Scanned pages are pictures, which is exactly what this tool shrinks. Colour and greyscale scans often get much smaller. Pure black-and-white scans are usually stored very compactly already and are left as they are.

Can I compress a print-ready PDF from Canva, InDesign or Illustrator?

Yes. Print-ready PDFs are often huge because their photos are stored in print colours (CMYK) at full print resolution, together with a large print colour profile. The compressor converts those photos to screen colours at a sensible size and removes the print profile, which often shrinks a file by 90% or more. The result is ideal for email, proofs and sharing online; keep your original file for professional printing.

Can I compress a password-protected or signed PDF?

A password-protected PDF has to be unlocked first. A digitally signed PDF can be compressed, but because the file changes, the signature will no longer be valid; the tool warns you when this applies.

Does it work on iPhone, Android and Mac?

Yes. It runs in Safari, Chrome, Edge and Firefox on phones and computers, with no app to install. Very large PDFs are handled more comfortably on a computer, which has more memory.

Is it free?

Yes, completely free, with no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on use.

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