Compress PDF
Reduce PDF file size without quality loss
How to Use Compress PDF
- 1
Upload your PDF by clicking the upload area or dragging it onto the page.
- 2
Choose a compression level: Screen for smallest size, Ebook for balance, or Print for high quality.
- 3
Click Compress PDF and wait a few seconds.
- 4
Download the compressed file. The tool shows how much space was saved.
About Compress PDF
Reduce PDF file size online without losing quality. Compress large PDFs for email, upload or sharing.
Best Use Cases
- •Reducing a PDF before attaching it to an email that has a size limit
- •Making a PDF smaller before uploading it to a portal or form submission
- •Compressing a scanned PDF that is large due to high-resolution images
- •Reducing storage space used by a collection of PDF reports
- •Preparing PDFs for a website download link where file size affects load speed
Examples
Email attachment
A 15MB PDF report compressed at standard quality becomes 3-4MB, well within most email attachment limits of 10-25MB.
Scanned document
A 20-page scanned document at 300 DPI produces a large file. Compressing at Screen quality reduces it significantly for digital sharing while keeping it readable on screen.
Presentation PDF
An exported presentation PDF with embedded images compresses well at Ebook quality, retaining clear visuals at a much smaller file size.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- !Choosing Screen quality for a document you plan to print - Screen quality reduces image resolution too aggressively for print use
- !Compressing a PDF that is already small - text-only PDFs are already compact and compress very little further
- !Not comparing the output to the original - always open the compressed file to confirm text and images are still clear enough for the intended use
Limitations
- –Text-only PDFs compress very little because text data is already compact
- –Some PDFs are already optimised and cannot be reduced further without visible quality loss
- –The browser-based compressor works on most standard PDFs but may not support all PDF encryption or DRM configurations
Privacy
Compression runs entirely in your browser. Your PDF is never uploaded to any server at any point. This makes the tool safe for confidential documents, financial reports, legal files, and personal records.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much can I compress a PDF?
Typical compression ranges from 20% to 90% depending on content. PDFs with images compress the most.
Will compression affect text quality?
Text remains crisp. Images may have slight quality reduction at maximum compression.
How much can I reduce a PDF file size?
It depends on what is in the PDF. Documents that contain high-resolution images can often be compressed by 50 to 80 percent. Text-only PDFs are already compact and may only reduce by 5 to 20 percent.
Will compression affect the text in my PDF?
No. Text in PDFs is stored as vector data, which is already very compact. Compression primarily targets embedded images, which are the main source of large PDF sizes.
What compression level should I choose?
For documents you will print or share professionally, use Print or High quality. For documents shared by email or viewed on screen, Ebook or Screen quality gives a good balance of readability and file size.
Why is my compressed PDF still large?
If the PDF contains many high-resolution images or embedded fonts, there is a limit to how small it can get without visible quality loss. Try the lowest quality setting to see how much further it can be reduced.