Compress PDF
Shrink a heavy PDF until it fits the limit you are up against. Pick how hard to squeeze, and see the saving before you save.
Drop a PDF here
or tap to browse — one file at a time
What this tool does
Each page is redrawn at a chosen resolution and stored as a compressed image inside a new PDF. That is what makes scanned documents and photo-heavy files drop dramatically in size.
There is a trade-off, and it is worth knowing before you use it: because pages become images, the text inside them is no longer selectable or searchable. For a scan of a signed paper document that changes nothing — it was already an image. For a text report you want to stay searchable, use Light, or send the original instead.
How to compress a PDF
- Add the PDF you want to shrink.
- Choose a level. Balanced suits most scans and mixed documents.
- Press Compress PDF and wait — each page is processed one at a time.
- Check the before and after sizes, then save the file.
Which level should you pick?
| Level | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Strong | Scans you only need to read on screen | Visibly softer text |
| Balanced | Most documents and photo-heavy files | Small quality loss |
| Light | Documents that will be printed | Modest size reduction |
Good to know
- If the PDF is already optimised, the new file may not be smaller. When that happens the tool keeps your original instead of giving you a worse copy.
- Text-only PDFs are usually already small, and compression has little to gain there.
- Large documents take time because the work happens on your device — a 200-page scan on a phone will be slow.
Common questions
Will the text still be searchable?
No. Compression converts pages to images, so text selection and search are lost. Keep the original if you need them.
How much smaller will my file be?
It depends entirely on what is inside. Scans and photo pages often drop by 60–90%; a plain text PDF may barely move.
Nothing happened — the file is the same size.
That means the PDF was already efficient. The tool returns your original rather than a larger, worse version.
Is there a file size limit?
No fixed limit, but your device's memory is the real one. Very large files may fail on older phones.
Does compressing change the page size?
No. Pages keep their original dimensions, so printing is unaffected.
Pick a tool
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Run →Compress PDF
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Run →Images to PDF
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Run →PDF to JPG
Turn every page of a PDF into a high-quality image.
Run →PDF to PowerPoint
Put each PDF page on its own slide in a .pptx file.
Run →JPG to PNG
Convert JPG or WebP photos to lossless PNG.
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