Compress a PDF without uploading it
Reduce the size of a scanned or photo-heavy PDF to get under a portal's or an email's limit. Text stays sharp and selectable: only the images are recompressed, in your browser.
Drop your PDF file here
or click to select it from your device
The file never leaves your device.
Your PDF stays on your device
Compression happens in your browser, using your own device's processing power. No page of your document is sent to a server.
How to shrink a PDF in three steps
1. Add your PDF file
Drag and drop your file or select it from your device.
2. Pick a level, or a maximum size
Light, Balanced or Strong. If you know the limit to meet, enter it in MB: stronger levels are tried automatically until it is reached.
3. Download the smaller PDF
You see the size before and after. If there is no gain, the tool tells you instead of handing back a heavier file.
What this tool does, and what it doesn't
Compression focused on images, where almost all the weight of a scanned PDF sits.
Text and vectors preserved
Only images are recompressed. Text stays sharp, selectable and searchable, and fonts are untouched.
Target a maximum size
Enter the limit to meet in MB: the tool increases compression step by step until the file is under that size, or tells you it could not.
Honest about its limits
A text-only PDF, or one whose images are already optimized, can't be reduced much. Any digital signature is no longer valid after compression.
No sign-up
The tool works right away, with no account or email address.
When do you need a smaller PDF?
Very common situations where a file is rejected because it is too heavy.
Application and enrollment files
Bring scans (IDs, diplomas, statements) under the limit set by the platform.
Administrative procedures
Upload a supporting document to a portal that caps attachment size.
Sending by email
Fit a scanned document through a mailbox that rejects large attachments.
Phone scans
Shrink photos of documents turned into PDFs, often very heavy for what they contain.
Frequently asked questions
No. Compression runs in your browser: your PDF is not sent to a server. The final file is generated on your device.
Yes. The tool only recompresses the images inside the PDF. Text, fonts and vector elements stay as they are. However, a scanned PDF contains an image of text, not real text: it does not become selectable.
It depends on the content. A scanned or photo-heavy PDF can lose most of its weight. A text-only PDF, or one whose images are already optimized, will shrink little or not at all: the tool tells you.
The stronger the level, the more images are reduced in resolution and quality. Light keeps images very close to the original, Strong gives the smallest file at the cost of blurrier images. Check that small print stays readable before sending the document.
Enter the maximum size in the field provided. The tool tries the chosen level, then stronger ones, until the file is under that size. If it can't get there, it tells you and gives you the best result obtained.
It is no longer valid: the file is rebuilt, which invalidates the signature. If the document must stay signed, don't compress it, or compress it before signing.
A password-protected or damaged file may not be readable by the tool. An error message then points out the problem; remove the protection before trying again.
Large files take longer to process and need memory, especially on a phone. If processing fails, try on a computer, or split the document first with the split tool.
Compress PDF reduces the size of a scanned or photo-heavy document right in your browser, without sending the file to a server. Text stays selectable, only the images are recompressed. A free tool with no account, to get under a portal's or an email's limit.