How to Compress a PDF
Pick the PDF that is too big to send — the scan your bank rejected, the portfolio the upload form will not take, the contract that bounced back out of somebody's inbox. Nothing is uploaded. The file is rebuilt on your own device.
Then say how small you want it. Recommended is right for almost everything and usually takes a scan down by 80 to 90 percent. Light keeps more detail if you are going to print it. Smallest is for when a form has a hard limit and you just need to get under it. If the pages are black text on white paper, the black and white switch shrinks them further.
Press Compress PDF and wait a few seconds. You get the old size next to the new one and how much you saved. Have a look, then download it or share it straight from your phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my PDF so big in the first place?
Almost always the pictures. A phone photo or a scanned page is several megabytes on its own, and a PDF simply carries those pictures around inside it. The text and the layout take up almost nothing by comparison.
How much smaller will it get?
It depends what is inside. Scans and photos usually drop by 80 to 95 percent. A PDF that was already just text may barely move, because there is nothing left to squeeze out of it.
Will it still look good?
For reading and printing at normal size, yes. Compression throws away detail your eye cannot see. Going to Smallest on a page of fine print can soften it, so check the result before you send anything that matters.
Can I still select the text afterwards?
No. Every page comes back as a picture, so the text is no longer selectable or searchable. If you need the words back, run the compressed file through Image to Text.
The file came out bigger than before
That happens when the PDF was already well compressed, usually one made by Word or Google Docs rather than scanned. There is nothing to gain, so keep your original.
Does my file get uploaded anywhere?
No. It is compressed in your browser and never leaves your computer or phone. There is nothing to delete afterwards, because nothing was ever sent.