Compress a PDF — make it small enough to send
When a form or an inbox says 'file too large', this is the fix: your PDF is rebuilt at a lighter resolution, on your device. Choose Screen for the smallest file or Standard for a balanced result.
Good to know
- Price
- Free — no premium tier, no watermark
- Account
- None — no sign-up, nothing to install
- Your files
- Strictly processed in your browser — never sent anywhere else
- Multiple files
- One file at a time
- Formats
- PDF → PDF
How it works
Drop your PDF
Drag the document into the box or tap to browse. The work happens on your device — never uploaded.
Choose your level
Screen (100 DPI) gives the smallest file for email and forms. Standard (150 DPI) keeps pages sharper for reading and printing.
Download the smaller PDF
A rebuilt, lighter document with the same pages in the same order — ready to send where the original was refused.
Why use this tool
- Built for the 'file too large' wall: email limits and form caps
- Two honest levels instead of one mysterious 'optimize' button
- Your documents never leave your device — vital for the files people compress
- No account, no page limit, no watermark
About the PDF format
PDFs get fat quietly: one scanned page at a printer's default settings can weigh several megabytes, and a ten-page scan sails past the 10–25 MB caps of email and upload forms. Compression means rebuilding the document so each page costs fewer bytes — here, by re-rendering pages as efficient images at a resolution matched to how the file will actually be used: screen, or paper.
About the PDF format
The compressed PDF contains the same pages in the same order, rebuilt as high-efficiency page images at the level you chose. The honest trade-off, stated plainly: after compression the text is part of the page image — it reads and prints the same, but it is no longer selectable or searchable, and fine detail is softer at the Screen level. Always keep your original file; compression is a one-way trip.
Frequently asked questions
A form says my PDF is too large. Which level do I pick?
Pick Screen: it produces the smallest file, comfortably under typical 5–10 MB form caps even for long scans, and stays perfectly readable on screens. Pick Standard when the receiver will print the document.
How much smaller will my PDF get?
It depends on the source. Scanned documents — the usual problem — commonly shrink by 70–95%. A PDF that is already mostly text starts small and may barely change; compression cannot invent savings that are not there.
Will I still be able to select or search the text?
No — after compression, each page is an image of the page, so the text reads and prints normally but cannot be selected, copied, or searched. That is the real cost of strong browser-side compression, which is why keeping your original matters.
Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
Never. Compression happens in your browser with PDF.js and pdf-lib. Your document is read and rebuilt on your own device; nothing is transmitted, stored, or seen by us.