PDF Tools
Compress PDF
Make a PDF smaller so it's easy to email or upload. Choose a compression level, and the tool rebuilds the PDF at a lighter quality — ideal for scanned or image-heavy documents. Everything happens in your browser with no upload.
Drop a PDF here or click to choose
Best for scanned or image-heavy PDFs · runs in your browser, no upload
How to compress a PDF
- Choose the PDF that's too large to email or upload.
- Pick a level: Smallest file, Balanced or Best quality.
- The tool renders each page to an image at that level and rebuilds the PDF from those images.
- Compare the before and after sizes, and download the new PDF if it's smaller — otherwise keep the original.
The three compression levels
Text at 86 DPI stays readable at normal zoom but looks soft when you zoom in. If the document has footnotes or fine print, use Balanced or Best quality.
| Level | Page resolution | JPG quality | A4 page in pixels | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smallest file | about 86 DPI | 55% | 714 × 1010 | Email, strict upload limits |
| Balanced | about 115 DPI | 70% | 952 × 1347 | Everyday sharing and reading on screen |
| Best quality | 144 DPI | 85% | 1190 × 1684 | Small print and detailed images |
Each page is rendered at the listed resolution and stored as a JPG inside the new PDF.
Which PDFs shrink — and which don't
Scans and photo-heavy PDFs are where this approach shines. Phone scanning apps and office scanners often save each page as a large, high-resolution image, and re-rendering at screen resolution with JPG compression can cut those files dramatically.
PDFs made directly from Word, Google Docs or a web page are different. Their text is stored as compact drawing instructions plus a font, so a page of text may take only a few kilobytes. Turning those pages into pictures usually makes the file bigger and removes selectable text, links and bookmarks. The tool shows both sizes so you can tell at once — if the new file isn't smaller, keep the original.
What the compressed PDF loses
- Selectable and searchable text — every page becomes a picture. Run the result through OCR if you need to copy text later.
- Clickable links, bookmarks and fillable form fields.
- Vector sharpness: lines and lettering become pixels at the chosen resolution.
- Accessibility: screen readers can't read text that's part of an image, so keep the original for anything that must be accessible.
Frequently asked questions
How does the PDF compression work?
Each page is rendered to a compressed image and the PDF is rebuilt from those images at the quality level you choose. This shrinks scanned and image-heavy PDFs significantly.
Will the text still be selectable?
No. Because pages are rebuilt as images, text becomes part of the page picture and is no longer selectable or searchable. If you need selectable text, keep the original. This approach is best for scans and image-heavy files.
Are my files uploaded?
No. Compression runs entirely in your browser, so your PDF never leaves your device.
Why didn't my PDF get smaller?
Text-only PDFs are already very compact, so rasterising them may not help and can even add size. The tool tells you the before/after size so you can keep the original if it's smaller.
Can I compress a PDF on my phone?
Yes, though every page is rendered in your browser, so a long scanned document takes longer on a phone than on a computer. If the phone struggles, split the document into parts with Split PDF, compress each part, then merge them again.
How can I make a text PDF smaller without losing the text?
Find what's making it large — usually embedded photos. Compress or resize those images in the source document and export the PDF again; Word and Google Docs can both save directly to PDF. Removing unneeded pages with Split PDF also helps.
How small does a PDF need to be for email?
Gmail allows up to 25 MB of attachments per email, and many other providers set limits somewhere between 10 and 25 MB. If a scanned document is over the limit, the Smallest file level is the one to try first.
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