Compress PDF
Reduce PDF file size while keeping quality.
Drop your PDF here or choose one
Works with one PDF up to 100MB
A practical guide to Compress PDF
Compress PDF targets the images and internal streams that usually make a document large. You can choose a general compression level or aim for a delivery threshold while comparing the result with the source.
Example: fit a scan under a 5 MB upload limit
Choose the 5 MB goal, export the file, and inspect small text and signatures before submitting it to the portal.
Task-specific steps
- 1
Choose the PDF and note its original size so you have a meaningful comparison.
- 2
Select a preset target or adjust the compression level based on how the document will be viewed.
- 3
Download the smaller PDF and zoom into photos, fine text, and diagrams before replacing the original.
Options that affect the result
- Size goals include 2 MB, 5 MB, 10 MB, and a custom target.
- Compression level trades image detail and processing time against output size.
Limitations to know first
- A target size is a best-effort goal, not a guarantee for every PDF structure.
- Text-only or already optimized PDFs may shrink very little; aggressive settings can visibly soften scanned pages.
Questions specific to this task
Why did my PDF barely get smaller?
The file may already use compressed images and compact object streams, or it may consist mostly of text and vectors. Those documents contain less redundant data to remove.
Does PDF compression change page dimensions?
The page boxes stay the same. Compression can resample or recompress embedded images, which affects detail but not the physical page size.