Compress PDF
Reduce your PDF from 20 MB to 2 MB in one click. Choose between maximum compression for email attachments or balanced mode to keep images crisp. Either way, text stays razor-sharp.
Drop a PDF file here or click to browse
Select the PDF you want to compress
100% Secure
Runs in Browser
No Upload Needed
About Compress PDF
Email servers reject files over 10 MB. Cloud storage fills up. Compressed PDFs solve both problems without sacrificing readability. Our compression engine re-encodes embedded images at optimized quality levels, strips unused metadata and duplicate fonts, and rebuilds the PDF structure for a smaller file. For text-heavy documents you'll typically see 60-80% size reduction. Image-heavy files compress 30-50% while keeping visuals publication-ready. The output is a fully compliant PDF that opens in any reader.
How to Compress a PDF
- 1
Upload your PDF
Drop your file into the upload zone. There's no need to pre-sort or rename it.
- 2
Select compression level
Choose 'Balanced' for the best mix of size and quality, or 'Maximum' when file size is the priority.
- 3
Download the compressed file
See the before-and-after size comparison, then download your optimized PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much smaller will my file be?
- It depends on the content. Text-heavy PDFs typically shrink 60-80%. Image-heavy files reduce 30-50%. The tool shows the exact reduction before you download.
- Will compression make my PDF blurry?
- Text is never affected. Images are re-encoded at optimized quality — in 'Balanced' mode, the difference is invisible to the naked eye.
- Can I compress a PDF that's already compressed?
- Yes, but gains will be smaller. If a file has already been optimized, you'll see a 5-15% further reduction at most.
- Does compression remove my PDF's security settings?
- Password-protected PDFs must be unlocked before compression. The tool will prompt you if a password is needed.