Compress PDF to a Smaller Size
Oversized PDFs bounce from email servers and crawl through upload forms. Set a target size such as 200 KB and this tool adapts the page resolution until your PDF fits the cap, or pick a fixed quality preset from gentle to aggressive for predictable output — image-heavy scans often shrink by 50–90%. Because compression happens in your browser rather than on a remote server, you can shrink confidential documents without handing them to anyone.
Drop your PDF here
.pdf · single file
Processed locally in your browser — your files never leave your device.
How to compress PDF
- Upload the oversized PDF.
- Enter a target size such as 200 KB, or choose a quality preset.
- Click "Compress PDF" and download the smaller file.
Verified behavior and practical limits
Last tested:
How it processes your file
Each page is rasterized locally and rebuilt from a JPEG at 72, 120, or 200 DPI. No original PDF is uploaded.
Verified behavior
- Low, balanced, and high presets use 72, 120, and 200 DPI respectively.
- Image-heavy and scanned PDFs usually benefit more than already compact files.
- The output keeps the original page count and page dimensions.
Important limits
- Rasterization removes the original selectable/searchable text layer, links, forms, and vector editability.
- Compression is not guaranteed to make every PDF smaller; keep the original for archive-quality use.
Reproducible example workflow
- Input
- A ten-page scanned report that is too large for an email attachment.
- Action
- Choose Balanced (120 DPI), compress it, then compare readability and file size.
- Expected output
- compressed.pdf with ten image-based pages; exact size reduction depends on the source.
Continue the workflow
Frequently asked questions
Can I compress a PDF to a specific size like 200 KB?
Yes. Switch to target-size mode, enter the KB cap you need — 200 KB fits many email attachment limits — and the tool adapts the page resolution to stay under it. If a PDF is too image-heavy to reach your cap, you get the smallest achievable result plus a note explaining the gap.
What can I do when a PDF file is too big to upload?
Set a target size like 200 KB first, or choose Balanced and try Smallest if the limit is strict. Compression works best on scanned or image-heavy PDFs; keep the original because this process rasterizes the pages.
How much smaller will my PDF get?
Image-heavy documents like scans often shrink by 50–90%. Text-only PDFs are already compact, so their size reduction is modest.
Will text stay selectable after compression?
No. This compressor rasterizes each page into an image before rebuilding the PDF, so the original searchable text layer, links, forms, and vector editability are not preserved. Keep the original file or run OCR on the compressed copy if searchable text is required.
Which quality level should I pick?
Use target-size mode when you must hit a specific limit, such as an email attachment cap. Otherwise start with Balanced (120 DPI) — it looks great on screen — and choose Smallest for stricter limits or Best quality for print.
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