Compress PDF

Reduce a PDF's file size entirely in your browser — no upload required.

FreeBrowser-basedInstant

Your files are processed locally in your browser and are not uploaded to our servers. Every page is rendered and re-encoded directly in your browser, and the new, smaller PDF is rebuilt locally — your file never leaves your device.

How to use Compress PDF

Choose a PDF, pick an image quality and resolution, and compress. Every page is rendered to a canvas and re-encoded as a compressed JPEG, then rebuilt into a brand-new, smaller PDF — the same technique most free browser-only PDF compressors use. Because each page becomes an image, any text that was selectable or searchable in the original will no longer be selectable or searchable in the result, so this tool is best suited to already-scanned or image-heavy PDFs rather than text documents you still need to search or copy from. Nothing is uploaded — the whole process runs on your device.

Key features

  • Fully client-side compression — no upload, no waiting on a server
  • Adjustable image quality (10–100%) to trade off size against sharpness
  • Adjustable resolution scaling (original, 75%, or 50%) for extra size reduction
  • Real per-page progress for multi-page documents
  • Clear before/after file size and percentage reduction after compressing
  • Honest, upfront disclosure of the text-selectability trade-off

Practical use cases

  • Shrinking a scanned document so it's small enough to email
  • Reducing a large PDF to fit an upload size limit on another website
  • Compressing an image-heavy report or brochure for faster sharing
  • Reducing a photo-heavy PDF portfolio for lighter, faster web hosting

Supported formats

Accepted: pdf — Output: pdf

Limitations

  • Every page becomes a flattened image, so any selectable or searchable text in the original is no longer selectable or searchable in the result
  • Not a good fit for text-heavy documents you still need to search, copy from, or edit as text
  • Large or many-page documents may take a while, since every page is individually re-rendered and re-encoded
  • Encrypted or password-protected PDFs are not supported
  • Files larger than 30 MB are not accepted, to avoid running out of browser memory

Frequently asked questions

Will the text in my PDF still be selectable after compressing?
No. Compressing rewrites every page as a compressed image, so any text that was selectable or searchable in the original PDF is no longer selectable or searchable in the compressed file. It's part of a flattened picture now, not text. This tool is best for documents that are already scans or are mostly images, where nothing text-based is lost in the first place.
How much smaller will my PDF get?
It depends heavily on the original file and the quality/resolution settings you choose — image-heavy or scanned PDFs at a lower quality and resolution can shrink dramatically, while a PDF that's already small or mostly plain text may not shrink much (or could even grow slightly at very high quality settings). The tool shows you the exact before-and-after size and percentage reduction after each compression.
Does compressing upload my file anywhere?
No. Every page is rendered, compressed, and reassembled into a new PDF locally in your browser. Your document is never sent to a server.
What quality setting should I use?
Start with the default (60% quality, 50% resolution) and check the result. Lower the quality or resolution further for maximum size reduction if some visible loss of sharpness is acceptable, or raise them if you need the compressed pages to look closer to the original.

Part of PDF Tools