Compress PDF
Reduce PDF file size while keeping quality
Drag & drop your file here
or click to choose
Max 50 MB · No registration needed
Your file stays on your device — never uploaded
Compression effectiveness depends on PDF content. Already optimized files may show little difference.
How to compress a PDF
- 1
Upload your PDF by dragging it into the box above or clicking to browse. You can select files of any size — even large scanned documents.
- 2
Choose your compression level: Low for minimal quality loss, Medium for a balanced reduction, or High for the smallest possible file size. Preview the estimated output size before proceeding.
- 3
Click Compress and download your smaller PDF. All compression happens directly in your browser — your file never leaves your device, and no data is sent to any server.
Why use our PDF compressor?
Large PDF files are one of the most common obstacles to sharing documents efficiently. Email providers cap attachments at 10-25 MB, upload portals reject oversized files, and bloated PDFs slow down every device that opens them. Scanned documents are especially problematic — a 20-page scan can easily exceed 50 MB. Our PDF compressor reduces file size by optimizing images, removing redundant metadata, and streamlining internal structures — all without requiring you to install desktop software or create an account. You choose the compression level that matches your needs: light compression preserves near-original quality for professional print work, while aggressive compression creates the smallest possible file for email or web uploads. Because everything runs client-side in your browser, even confidential tax returns, legal filings, and medical records stay completely private.
Compression pairs well with other document prep tasks. After shrinking your file, you can merge multiple PDFs into a single document, password-protect your PDF before emailing it, or split a large PDF into smaller sections for easier distribution. The tool works on any device — desktop, tablet, or phone — with no signup required, so you can compress on the go whenever a file is too large to send.
What is PDF compression?
PDF compression reduces a file's size by applying several optimization techniques. Embedded images — often the biggest contributor to file size — are re-encoded at lower resolutions or with more efficient algorithms like JPEG 2000. Duplicate resources such as repeated fonts or identical image blocks are consolidated, and unused metadata, thumbnails, and editing history are stripped out. Modern compressors can also linearize the PDF structure so it loads faster in web viewers. A well-compressed PDF can be 50-90% smaller than the original while remaining visually identical at normal viewing sizes.