How to use it
- Drop one or more PDFs here.
- Pick a mode: Recommended, Lossless or Strong.
- Choose a strength, or switch to Target size and pick a limit such as 1 MB.
- Click Compress PDF. One file downloads directly; several come as a ZIP.
Three compression modes
| Mode | What it does | Text | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recommended | Downsamples and recompresses images inside the PDF | Stays selectable and searchable | Scans, photo-heavy reports, most files |
| Lossless | Rewrites the file structure only | Unchanged | Files that must stay byte-for-byte identical in content |
| Strong | Renders every page as an image | Not selectable | Hitting a very small size limit |
Most large PDFs are large because of images: scanned pages, phone photos, or high-resolution graphics. Recommended mode shrinks those images to a sensible resolution (200, 150, 100 or 72 dpi) and leaves text and vector graphics alone, so the document still looks sharp and you can still search it.
Lossless mode helps with files that were saved inefficiently, but it cannot shrink images, so the savings are often small.
Strong mode turns each page into a JPEG image at 150, 110 or 72 dpi, with an optional grayscale switch for even smaller files. Links, form fields and selectable text are lost, so use it only when nothing else gets under the limit.
Compress to a target size
Upload forms often say maximum 1 MB or under 2 MB. Instead of guessing, choose Target size: at most…, click a common limit (100 KB, 200 KB, 500 KB, 1 MB, 2 MB) or type your own in KB. The tool tries settings from best quality downward and keeps the best result that fits.
Tip: enter a value slightly below the official limit, because some portals count a megabyte as 1,000,000 bytes and others as 1,048,576. If the file still does not fit, the result tells you so and suggests next steps: Strong mode, grayscale, removing pages, or splitting the PDF.
There are also preset pages for the most common limits: compress PDF to 100 KB, 200 KB, 500 KB and 1 MB, each with tips for that size.
How much smaller will my PDF get?
It depends on what is inside:
- Scanned documents and photos: often a large reduction, because the images are usually stored at far higher resolution than needed for reading.
- PDFs exported from Word or Google Docs: usually already compact; savings are small.
- Already-compressed files: may not shrink at all. If the result would be larger, you get the original back unchanged.
After compressing you see the before and after size for every file and the overall savings.
As a rough guide, a 20-page scanned contract saved at 300 dpi in color can shrink substantially in Recommended mode at 150 dpi, while a 20-page text report exported from a word processor may only lose a small percentage. The only way to know for your file is to try; it takes seconds and nothing leaves your device.
Your PDFs never leave your device
Compression runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, so you can compress tax returns, medical records or signed contracts without handing them to a third party. You can compress several PDFs in one go; they download together as a ZIP.
Password-protected PDFs cannot be compressed until the protection is removed. If you know the password, use Remove PDF password first.
Other ways to make a PDF smaller
- Delete pages you do not need with Delete PDF pages.
- Split a long document into parts with Split PDF when a portal accepts several files.
- Convert color scans to grayscale with PDF to black and white.
- Scan at a lower resolution next time: 150–200 dpi is enough for most paperwork.
Frequently asked questions
Does compressing a PDF reduce quality?
Recommended mode reduces image resolution but keeps text and vector graphics sharp. Lossless mode does not change content at all. Strong mode turns pages into images and is the most visible.
How do I compress a PDF to under 1 MB?
Choose Target size, click 1 MB (or type a value a little below the limit), and compress. The tool finds the best quality that fits.
Will the text still be searchable?
Yes in Recommended and Lossless modes. In Strong mode pages become images, so text is no longer selectable.
Why didn't my PDF get smaller?
It may already be compact, for example a PDF exported from a word processor with few images. Try Recommended at a lower strength or Strong mode.
Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
No. All compression happens in your browser, and the file stays on your device.
Can I compress several PDFs at once?
Yes. Drop multiple files; the compressed copies download together as a ZIP.
Last updated: November 13, 2026