PDF Compressor

A PDF compressor reduces file size, mostly by shrinking the images inside the document. This free tool runs in your browser: it re-encodes JPEG photos and scans at the quality and resolution of the level you choose, optimises the PDF structure, and reports the saving. Text-only PDFs usually shrink very little, and nothing is uploaded.

Free, no signup. Runs entirely in your browser; files and text are not uploaded.

How to use the PDF Compressor

  1. Click "Select a PDF file" or drop a PDF onto the upload area.
  2. Choose a compression level: Light, Recommended or Strong.
  3. Click "Compress PDF".
  4. Compare the original and compressed sizes and the percentage saved.
  5. Click "Download compressed PDF" if the file got smaller.

Features

  • Re-encodes JPEG images at 85%, 70% or 50% quality depending on the level
  • Downscales large images to 2000 or 1400 pixels on the Recommended and Strong levels
  • Keeps text, vector graphics and fonts unchanged
  • Shows original size, compressed size and percentage saved
  • Tells you when a PDF cannot be made smaller instead of offering a bigger file
  • Processing happens locally in your browser

Frequently asked questions

Why did my PDF barely get smaller?

Most of a PDF’s size usually comes from images. This tool recompresses JPEG images, so text-only PDFs, vector drawings and PDFs whose images use other formats shrink little or not at all.

Will compression reduce quality?

Text and vector graphics are not changed. Photos and scans are re-encoded, so the Strong level can show visible JPEG artefacts; use Light if quality matters most.

Is my PDF uploaded to a server?

No. The PDF is processed with JavaScript in your browser and never leaves your device.

Can I compress a password-protected PDF?

No. Remove the password in your PDF reader first, then compress the unlocked copy.

Related tools

  • PDF Merger – Combine several PDF files into one, in the order you choose, without uploading them.
  • PDF Splitter – Split a PDF into single pages, custom ranges or fixed chunks, or extract selected pages.
  • Image Compressor – Compress up to 20 JPG, PNG or WebP images at once in your browser and see the saving
  • PDF Rotate – Rotate all, odd, even or selected PDF pages by 90° or 180° and save the result.

Built and reviewed by Naqash Thaheem, Technical Project Manager. Last reviewed 2026-09-24.