How to compress a PDF
- Upload your PDF with the upload box above.
- Choose a level: Recommended, Smallest File or Light Clean-up (explained below).
- Press Compress PDF Now and wait. Large PDFs take longer because each page is processed in turn.
- Compare the original and new size, then download the result.
What each option does
- Recommended turns every page into a JPG image at roughly 100 dpi and rebuilds the PDF. It works well for scanned documents, photos and mark sheets.
- Smallest File uses a lower resolution (roughly 80 dpi) and stronger compression. It gives the smallest result, but small print may look soft.
- Light Clean-up keeps the PDF as it is and only rewrites its internal structure. Text stays selectable, but the saving is usually small.
Important: Recommended and Smallest File turn pages into pictures
These two options draw each page as an image. That is why they can shrink scanned files a lot, but it also means that text in the new PDF can no longer be selected, copied or searched, and links and form fields are lost. If you need to keep selectable text, use Light Clean-up, or keep your original file.
The result may not be smaller
A PDF that is mostly text can already be tiny, and turning it into page images can make it larger. When the new file is not smaller, the tool tells you so. In that case try Smallest File or keep the original. Savings depend entirely on what is inside the PDF, so no tool can promise a fixed percentage.
Tips for getting under a size limit
- Scanned mark sheets and ID copies shrink the most. Try Recommended first, then Smallest File if you still need a smaller file.
- If a PDF has many pages you do not need, extract only the pages you need with the PDF page extractor first.
- Scan at a sensible resolution. A 600 dpi scan is far larger than an application usually needs.
- Always open the result and check that every page is readable before you upload it.
Limits
- Password-protected PDFs are not supported. Remove the password first.
- Page size is kept, but very large PDFs may be slow or run out of memory on a phone.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. The PDF is processed in your browser and is not sent to our servers. See the privacy policy.
Frequently asked questions
Can I choose an exact size such as 200 KB?
No. This tool offers three levels rather than an exact size. Try the levels in turn until the file is under your limit.
Why can I no longer select text?
Recommended and Smallest File convert pages to images. Use Light Clean-up to keep text.
Will the page size change?
No. Each page keeps its original size.