Compress PDF Online — Reduce File Size for Free
Shrink oversized PDFs so they're easy to email, upload, and share.
About this tool
To compress PDF files is to shrink them down to a size that email servers, upload forms, and messaging apps will accept — and this free tool does exactly that, right in your browser. Pick High, Medium, or Low quality depending on whether you need crisp pages or the tiniest possible file.
The compressor re-renders each page as an optimized image and rebuilds the PDF around it, which is especially effective on scanned documents and image-heavy reports that balloon to tens of megabytes. You'll see the before-and-after file sizes the moment it's done, so you can judge the trade-off yourself.
One honest caveat: because pages are re-rendered as images, text in the compressed file is no longer selectable or searchable. For sharing, printing, and archiving, that rarely matters — but if you need selectable text, keep your original too. As always, processing is fully local: your documents are never uploaded anywhere.
How to use
- Upload the PDF you want to shrink.
- Choose a quality level — Medium is the best balance for most files.
- Press “Compress PDF” and wait while each page is optimized.
- Compare the before/after sizes and download the smaller file.
Frequently asked questions
How much smaller will my PDF get?
It depends on the content. Scanned or image-heavy PDFs often shrink 50–80%; text-only PDFs are already small and shrink less.
Will compression make my PDF blurry?
The High setting keeps pages sharp for screen and print. Medium is fine for everyday sharing; Low is best only when size matters more than looks.
Is the compressed PDF still searchable?
No — pages are re-rendered as images, so text can't be selected. Keep your original if you need searchable text.
What's the maximum file size I can compress?
Files up to 200 MB are accepted. Very large files may take a minute or two depending on your device.
Is it really free with no signup?
Yes — free, unlimited, no account, no watermark.
Where does the compression happen?
Entirely in your browser. Your PDF never leaves your device.