Compress PDF Online

Make a PDF smaller so it fits an upload limit, with the trade-off shown up front.

How to compress a PDF

Drop a PDF into the upload area, or click to browse for it.
Check the current file size shown next to the file name.
Choose Light, Balanced or Strong compression and read the quality note.
Select Compress PDF, compare the new size, then download the smaller file.

Want the longer version, with the settings that matter and the mistakes worth avoiding? How to Compress a PDF File Size.

Why use Compress PDF?

Upload limits are the usual reason: an email attachment cap, a job application portal, a government form that rejects anything over ten megabytes. Compression buys you room. How much depends entirely on what is inside the PDF, so the tool shows you the before and after sizes rather than promising a percentage it cannot guarantee.

Privacy and browser processing

Your files are processed in your browser. Nothing is uploaded to a server, so your document never leaves your device.

There is no account to create and nothing to install. Because the work happens on your device, the speed depends on your device rather than on how busy a server is — and closing the tab is all it takes to remove every trace of the file from this page.

Limitations

Worth knowing before you start:

Browser-based compression is more limited than desktop software; the savings depend on what the PDF contains.
A PDF that is mostly text is already small, and may barely shrink at all.
Strong compression can convert page content into images, which makes text no longer selectable.
A PDF that has already been optimised may not get smaller, and the tool will tell you so rather than pretending otherwise.

Frequently asked questions

Is compressing a PDF free?

Yes. There is no charge, no account and no watermark added to the compressed file.

Are my PDF files uploaded to a server?

No. Compression runs in your browser, so confidential documents are never transmitted anywhere.

How much smaller will my PDF get?

It depends on the contents. PDFs full of large photographs can shrink considerably; PDFs that are mostly text may hardly change, because the text was never the reason the file was big. The tool shows the original and final sizes so you can judge the result rather than take a claim on trust.

Will compression reduce the quality of my PDF?

Light compression is designed to leave visible quality alone. Balanced reduces image quality moderately. Strong produces the smallest files and can visibly soften images, so it warns you before running.

Will my text still be selectable after compressing?

Under Light compression, yes. Strong compression may rasterise pages into images, which means the text becomes part of a picture and can no longer be selected, searched or copied. The tool flags this before you commit.

What if my file does not get any smaller?

Some PDFs are already optimised. When that happens you will see a message explaining it rather than a download that is the same size as what you started with.