How to use Compress PDF
- Choose or drop a PDF file.
- Pick a mode: Lossless (keeps text selectable) or Strong (smallest files).
- For Strong mode, choose a quality and resolution.
- Click “Compress PDF”, compare sizes and download.
Supported formats
| Input | |
|---|---|
| Output | |
| Processing | On your device, in the browser (no upload) |
Limitations to know
- Lossless mode often saves only a little on PDFs that are already optimised.
- Strong mode turns each page into an image: text is no longer selectable or searchable, and links and form fields are removed.
- If the result would be larger than the original, the tool tells you and you can keep the original.
- Encrypted PDFs must be unlocked first.
Privacy: Compress PDF runs entirely in your web browser. Your PDF data is not uploaded, stored or shared, and nothing about its contents is sent to analytics.
Frequently asked questions
How can I reduce a PDF file size for email?
Try Lossless mode first. If the file is still too large, use Strong mode at 100–150 DPI and quality around 70%; scanned documents usually shrink dramatically.
Why did my PDF barely get smaller?
PDFs that are mostly text, or that were already optimised, have little left to remove losslessly. Strong mode helps most with scanned or image-heavy PDFs.
Will compression make my text blurry?
Lossless mode never changes content. Strong mode rasterises pages, so pick a higher resolution (150 DPI) if you need crisp text.