How to compress a PDF
- Click the yellow area and pick the PDF, or drag the file onto the page.
- Choose the compression level. Recommended works for almost everything.
- Click Compress PDF. The smaller file downloads on its own, and the page shows how much it shrank.
If the result is still too big, try Strong. If you need the smallest possible file and don’t mind losing selectable text, use Extreme.
Why PDFs get heavy
Almost always because of images. A text-only PDF, even with dozens of pages, is usually a few hundred KB. A scanned document, a contract photographed with a phone or a slide deck full of photos stores each image at full resolution, sometimes 12 megapixels per page.
Compression finds those images inside the PDF, shrinks the ones that are bigger than needed for reading and printing, and saves them again in a lighter format. Text, fonts, links and forms are left untouched.
The levels
| Level | What it does | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Images up to 2400 px, high quality | Portfolios, photos that will be printed |
| Recommended | Images up to 1700 px (about 200 dpi on an A4 page) | Email, application sites, everyday use |
| Strong | Images up to 1150 px | Tight limits such as 1 or 2 MB |
| Extreme | Every page becomes a light image | Huge scans, when nothing else works |
At Extreme, the PDF becomes images only: you can no longer copy the text or search it with Ctrl+F. Use it only when size matters more than that.
What it’s for
- Uploading documents to job, school or government sites that accept at most 1, 2 or 5 MB.
- Attaching a PDF to an email that goes over the 20 or 25 MB limit.
- Sending contracts and handouts on WhatsApp faster and with less data.
- Storing scanned documents using less space on your phone or in the cloud.
Your PDF never leaves your device
Most compression sites upload your file to a server. Here, all the work is done in your own browser, so contracts, bank statements, medical records and personal documents never leave your computer or phone. No sign-up, no watermark and no usage limit.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my PDF barely shrink?
Because it’s mostly text, or its images were already compressed. Text takes very little space and there’s nothing to remove. In those cases the file is already close to its smallest size without turning into images.
Is the text still selectable?
Yes, at Light, Recommended and Strong. Only Extreme turns pages into images.
Does print quality drop?
At Recommended, a scanned page ends up at about 200 dpi, enough to print with good legibility. For professional photo printing, use Light.
Does it work with password-protected PDFs?
PDFs that ask for a password to open need the protection removed first. PDFs that only restrict editing usually open normally.
What if I only need some pages?
Extract them first with split PDF and then compress. To combine several PDFs into one, use merge PDF.