Compress a PDF to reduce its file size
Shrink large PDFs — especially scans and image-heavy documents — so they fit email attachments and upload limits.
Drag & drop PDF files to merge
or click to browse your files
Max File Size: 50MBHow to use the Compress PDF tool
- 1Choose or drop the PDF you want to shrink.
- 2Pick a compression level: Strong, Balanced or Light.
- 3Click Process PDF, check the new size, and download.
Good to know
- Your files are processed in your browser and never uploaded to our servers.
- Pages are re-rendered as compressed images. This shrinks scans the most, but text in the result is no longer selectable or searchable.
- If compression wouldn't make your file smaller, you get your original back instead of a bigger one.
- Use Light for documents you will print; Strong for the smallest upload.
Frequently asked questions
How much smaller will my PDF get?
Scanned and photo-heavy PDFs often shrink by 50–90%. Text-only PDFs are already compact and may not get smaller; in that case the original is kept.
Why can't I select text after compressing?
To reduce size in the browser, each page is turned into a compressed image. Keep the original if you need selectable or searchable text.
How do I get a PDF under a size limit, like 1 MB?
Start with Balanced. If the result is still too large, try Strong, or split the document and compress the parts separately.
Related tools
Merge PDFCombine multiple PDFs into one file in seconds. Free, no sign-up, and your files never leave your device. Optionally add a password to the result.Compress ImageReduce image file size with an adjustable quality slider. Compress JPG, PNG and WebP photos for web, email and forms — free, without uploading.PDF to JPGConvert every page of a PDF into a high-quality JPG image you can save and share. Free, no upload — conversion runs in your browser.