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Compress PDF

Make PDF files smaller for email and upload forms: pick a level, or type the size you need and the tool finds the lightest setting that fits. Text stays sharp, and your files never leave your device.

Updated by Khokhar Sab

How do I compress a PDF?

Press Choose PDF files and pick one or more PDFs. The tool shows what each file is made of. Pick Balanced for most uses, or Target size and type a size such as 500 KB. Press Compress PDF, check the before and after sizes, then Download. Several files come back as one ZIP.

  1. Press Choose PDF files.
  2. Read the size breakdown for each file.
  3. Pick Light, Balanced, Strong, or Target size.
  4. Press Compress PDF, then Download.

How do I make a PDF smaller for email?

Gmail and Yahoo Mail allow 25 MB of attachments and Outlook.com 20 MB, and some upload forms stop at 1 or 2 MB. Choose Target size and type the limit, for example 2 MB. The tool lowers image quality only as far as needed. Scanned documents usually shrink a lot; text-only files are often small already.

How much smaller will my PDF get?

It depends on what is inside. Photos and scans shrink the most, because they are usually stored at far more detail than a screen or office printer needs. In our build test at Balanced, a 12 MB phone scan became 678 KB, 94% smaller, while a text-only report barely changed.

Run on 2026-10-16 by the site build with the tool's engine at Balanced (150 dpi, quality 72). The build uses a different JPEG encoder than browsers, so sizes in the tool differ a little.
Test fileBeforeAfterSaved
Phone scan, 3 pages of photos12 MB678 KB94%
Report, 4 pages with chart images115 KB98 KB15%
Text-only report, 10 pages22 KB22 KB0%

Can I compress a PDF to a specific size?

Yes. Choose Target size and type the size. The tool compresses for real at different levels and keeps the lightest one that fits, which takes a few rounds. In our test, the phone scan aimed at 300 KB came out at 228 KB. When a target cannot be met, the tool says so and gives the smallest file.

Compress a PDF to a common size

Pages set to a size, each with its own test results: 100 KB, 200 KB, 500 KB, 1 MB, 2 MB, for email.

How do I make a PDF black and white?

Choose the PDF, tick Black and white, pick a level and press Compress PDF. Text, lines and images all turn grayscale, and the text stays real text you can search and copy. In our test, a 656 KB photo report came out at 235 KB in black and white, against 345 KB in color at the same level.

Does compressing a PDF reduce quality?

Only for images, and only as much as the level you choose. Text, lines and shapes are stored as instructions, not pictures, so the tool leaves them alone and they stay perfectly sharp at any zoom. Light keeps images close to the original; Strong suits screen reading and email, not printing photos.

Limits and fixes

  • Text-only PDFs are usually compact already; most of their size is fonts, which this tool keeps.
  • Black-and-white fax scans (JBIG2 or CCITT) and JPEG 2000 images are left as they are.
  • CMYK print images stored as JPEG are left as they are, so print colors do not shift.
  • In black and white, gradients, special print colors (spot colors) and CMYK JPEG images keep their color.
  • Digital signatures stop being valid in the compressed copy, because the file changes.
  • Locked PDFs need their password removed first with Unlock PDF.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free?

Yes, with no sign-up, no daily limit and no cap on files.

Are my files uploaded?

No. Compression runs in your browser; the files never leave your device.

Will links and form fields still work?

Yes. Only images are re-encoded; links, bookmarks and form fields are kept.

Why did my file barely shrink?

It has few or no images. The breakdown bar shows where its size is.

Can I compress many PDFs at once?

Yes. Add them all; they come back as one ZIP with a table of before and after sizes.

Learn more

How this tool was built and tested