Drag & drop a PDF here
or choose a file to compress
Free · up to 20 MB · runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded
Drop a PDF in and we will shrink it. Three compression levels trade size against quality, and the whole job runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded, saved, or shared.
Steps to Compress a PDF
- Add a file: drag your PDF into the box or press Choose PDF.
- Pick a level: Extreme Compression gives the smallest file and keeps the most savings, Recommended Compression balances quality and size, and Less compression keeps the most detail.
- Press Compress PDF: each page is re-encoded, so the file sinks to the new size in seconds.
- Download: check the saved percentage, then save the smaller file.
Which Level Should I Pick?
Recommended Compression is the safe default for email, portals, and everyday sharing. Use Extreme Compression for files that are almost too big to upload anywhere, and reach for Less compression when the document contains fine print, maps, or screenshots with small text.
How It Saves Space
Every page is redrawn as a compact, high-efficiency image and rebuilt into a fresh PDF. That removes bulky embedded fonts, photo layers, and redundant objects, which is where most of the wasted megabytes live.
Everything Happens on Your Device
The document never leaves your computer. That makes it ideal for scanned IDs, contracts, or any file you would rather not hand to a third-party server.
FAQ
Will the text stay searchable?
No — pages are re-encoded as images, so the text layer is replaced. For keeping selectable text, use a lighter level and accept a larger file. For sharing or printing, the visual result is what matters and it stays clean.
Will my printed copy look the same?
At Recommended and Less compression, printed pages look effectively identical to the original. Go extreme and close up zoom starts to show softness on very small text.
How small will the file get?
Most files shrink by 50–80%. The exact result depends on the pages: photo-heavy PDFs compress hugely, while simple text scans improve less.
Need to break a document into images first? Use the PDF to JPG converter, or merge images back into a PDF with the image to PDF converter.
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