Compress PDF

Makes a PDF file smaller by recompressing the photos and images inside it. Use it when a PDF is too large for an email attachment or an upload limit.

How to use

1. Drop the PDF files onto the page or click to choose them. You can add several files at once.
2. Leave the "Method" on "Recompress images (keeps text)" and choose a "Strength": "Light · print", "Medium · e-document" or "Strong · screen".
3. Each file shows its size before and after. Use "Compare first page" to check the quality.
4. Press "Download smaller PDF", or "Download all as ZIP" for several files.

How it works

• "Recompress images" reduces images to about 220, 150 or 96 dpi at their size on the page and saves them as JPEG. Text and lines are untouched and stay selectable and searchable.
• Images with transparency, CMYK, JBIG2 or JPEG 2000 are left unchanged and counted. If the result is not smaller, the original is kept.
• "Compress like a scan" turns every page into a picture and builds a new PDF. Selectable text, search, links and form fields are lost.
• Everything is done in this device's memory and the files are not uploaded. Password-protected PDFs cannot be opened.

Questions and answers

How much smaller will my PDF get?

PDFs with many photos usually shrink a lot; text-only PDFs barely change. Without images, only unused objects are removed and the file is saved compactly.

Does compressing a PDF make the text blurry?

Not with "Recompress images (keeps text)", which leaves text alone. With "Compress like a scan" text becomes part of a picture, so check it with "Close up".

Which strength should I choose?

"Light · print" for printing, "Medium · e-document" for email or uploads, "Strong · screen" for screen reading only. Stronger means smaller files and rougher photos.

Why does it say there is nothing to reduce?

The images are already well compressed or the PDF is mostly text, so the result was not smaller. If you still need a smaller file, try "Compress like a scan".