How to use Compress PDF
- 1Add one PDF or up to 20 at once.
- 2Choose a level: Lossless, Light, Recommended or Strong.
- 3Optionally convert images to grayscale or remove metadata.
- 4Click Compress, compare the before and after sizes, and download each file or all as a ZIP.
How the compression works
Most of a large PDF's size is usually photos and scans. The tool re-encodes those images as JPEG at the quality of the level you choose and scales down images larger than the level's pixel limit. A new image is kept only if it is at least 10% smaller. It also compresses streams stored without compression, merges identical fonts and images (common after merging files) and removes unused objects. Text and vector drawings are never turned into pictures.
Which level to choose
- Lossless: structure clean-up only, images untouched.
- Light: JPEG 85%, images up to 3000 px. Hard to tell apart from the original.
- Recommended: JPEG 72%, up to 2000 px. Good for email and sharing.
- Strong: JPEG 50%, up to 1300 px. Smallest files, fine for reading on screen.
Honest limits
Files that are mostly text are already compact and may not shrink much. If compression cannot make a file smaller, the tool tells you and keeps the original instead of giving you a bigger file. CMYK, indexed and some special image types are left as they are. Very large files depend on your device memory.
Frequently asked questions
How much smaller will my PDF get?
Scans and photo-heavy PDFs often shrink by 50 to 90 percent. Text-only PDFs may only save a few percent. The exact result is shown for each file.
Will text stay sharp and searchable?
Yes. Only embedded images are re-compressed; text and vector graphics are not changed.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. Compression runs in your browser and the file never leaves your device.
How do I get a PDF under 10 MB or 25 MB for email?
Start with Recommended. If it is still too big, use Strong, and turn on grayscale for scanned documents.
Can I compress several PDFs at once?
Yes, up to 20 files per batch, then download them all as one ZIP.