Compress a PDF
Shrink oversized PDFs for email and upload limits. Choose how hard to squeeze and watch the size drop.
How it works
- Drop the PDF
The current file size is shown so you can compare after.
- Choose a level
Light keeps near-original quality. Balanced is the sensible default. Strong squeezes hardest for the smallest file.
- Download the smaller file
You'll see exactly how many MB disappeared before you save.
Questions people actually ask
How does it work?
Light mode optimises the file's structure and keeps text as text. Balanced and Strong re-render pages as high-quality images at a lower resolution — like re-photographing the pages at a sensible size. Strong on a photo-heavy scan can cut 90% or more.
Will text stay selectable?
In Light mode, yes. In Balanced and Strong the pages become images, so text is no longer selectable — that's the trade for the smaller size.
My file barely shrank. Why?
PDFs that are already optimised (mostly plain text) have almost nothing to give. Try Strong, or accept that some files are simply already small.