Compress PDF
Runs in your browser. Your files never leave your device.
How we keep your files private
How to use Compress PDF
- Add your PDF.
- Choose the quality level.
- Compare the sizes and download the result.
Common uses
- Shrinking scans to email them.
- Meeting upload size limits.
- Saving storage.
About this tool
Reduce PDF size by re-rendering each page as a compressed image. This works well for scanned documents and image-heavy files, but the result is flattened: text is no longer selectable or searchable, and vector graphics become images. Compare the before and after sizes shown. If your PDF is mostly text, the output can end up larger than the original.
Worked example
A 12 MB scanned contract can drop to 1 or 2 MB because each page is re-rendered as a compressed image. A text-only PDF can grow instead, because text is already compact.
Common problems and fixes
- Text can no longer be selected.
- Pages become images, so the text is not searchable. Keep the original for copying text, or run OCR on the result.
- The file got bigger.
- Mostly-text PDFs are already small. Keep the original.
- The result looks blurry.
- Choose the higher quality setting. It uses more pixels per page.
Next steps
Frequently asked questions
Will text still be selectable?
No. Pages become images, so text is not selectable or searchable. Use this for scans.
Why did my file get bigger?
PDFs that are mostly text can grow when turned into images. Keep the original in that case.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. Everything runs inside your browser on your own device, so your files and text are never sent anywhere.
Is it really free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how often you use it.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. It works in any modern browser on phones, tablets and computers. Very large files may be slow on older phones.
Does it work offline?
Once the page has loaded, most tools keep working without a connection, because processing happens on your device.