About PDF compression
Most oversized PDFs are big because of images — scans, photos and screenshots stored at print quality. This tool re-renders each page and re-encodes it as an optimized JPEG at the quality you choose, which routinely shrinks scanned documents by 50–90%. Because compression happens on your device, there's no upload wait, no server queue and no watermark.
How to compress a PDF
- Add your PDF file.
- Pick a preset — Balanced suits email and uploads; Strong squeezes hardest for strict portal limits; Light keeps near-original quality.
- Press Compress PDF and compare the before/after sizes shown.
Honest limitations
- Pages become images, so text is no longer selectable in the compressed file. Keep the original if you need copy-paste or search.
- PDFs that are already mostly compact text may not shrink — the tool tells you when that happens instead of handing you a bigger file.
- Very large documents (hundreds of pages) take a while on slow devices since every page is re-rendered locally.
- For forms you must submit with selectable text, try splitting out only the needed pages instead.
Frequently asked questions
How much smaller will my PDF get?
Scanned and image-heavy PDFs typically shrink 50–90%. Text-only PDFs that are already efficient may not shrink at all — the tool tells you honestly when compression wouldn't help rather than giving you a bigger file.
Why can't I select text in the compressed PDF?
Compression re-renders each page as an optimized image, which is what makes big savings possible. Keep the original if you need selectable, searchable text.
Is there a file size limit or watermark?
Neither. Compression runs locally with no upload, no queue, no watermark and no daily allowance.