About the Compress PDF
Shrink large PDFs so they fit email limits and upload forms. Choose a lossless optimization that keeps text selectable, or stronger levels that recompress each page as an optimized image, which is ideal for scans.
Key features
- Five levels from lossless to extreme
- Up to 90%+ smaller for scanned and image-heavy PDFs
- Lossless mode keeps text selectable
- Tells you when a PDF can't be made smaller
- Batch compress several PDFs
- Private: files never leave your browser
Make PDFs small enough to send
Email services often limit attachments to 10–25 MB, and upload forms for jobs, visas, universities and government portals frequently cap files at 1–5 MB. Compress your PDF in seconds, right in your browser, without uploading sensitive documents anywhere.
Compression levels
| Level | How it works | Best for | Text selectable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lossless | Repacks the file's structure | Digital documents | ✅ |
| Light (150 DPI) | Re-renders pages at high quality | Brochures, detailed images | ❌ |
| Recommended (120 DPI) | Balanced quality and size | Scans, photos, most uploads | ❌ |
| Strong (96 DPI) | Smallest readable size | Strict upload limits | ❌ |
| Extreme (72 DPI) | Maximum reduction | Previews, screen reading only | ❌ |
Typical results
| Document | Before | After (Recommended) |
|---|---|---|
| 10-page scanned contract | 18 MB | ~1.5 MB |
| Phone photos saved as PDF | 25 MB | ~1–2 MB |
| Image-heavy brochure | 12 MB | ~1 MB |
| Text-only Word export | 300 KB | Already compact |
Results vary with page count and image content.
Tips to hit a size limit
- Try Recommended first; if it's still too big, use Strong.
- Remove pages you don't need with Remove PDF Pages.
- Split a long document with Split PDF and send it in parts.
- Convert to grayscale with Grayscale PDF if color isn't needed.
Related tools
Merge PDFs, compress images, or convert images to PDF.
How to use the Compress PDF
- Drag and drop your files into the upload area, or click Choose files.
- Set any options, such as quality, page size or page ranges.
- Click the convert button. Processing happens right in your browser.
- Download each result individually, or all of them as a ZIP.