Compress PDF – Reduce File Size

Renders each page at a lower resolution and re-saves as compressed JPEG. Works on any PDF including scans and image-heavy files. Choose your quality level.

Drop your PDF here

or click to browse — max 150 MB

Files stay in your browser No sign-up required Works on any device

How this compression works

This tool renders every page of your PDF to an image at a reduced resolution, then re-saves the images inside a new PDF using JPEG compression. This is the same principle used by professional tools like Adobe Acrobat's "Reduce File Size" feature — it genuinely shrinks the image content, not just the metadata.

Step-by-step

  1. Upload your PDF. Click or drag your file onto the upload area.
  2. Choose a compression level. Balanced is the best starting point. Use Maximum for the smallest possible file, or High Quality when appearance matters more.
  3. Click Compress. Each page is rendered and re-saved. Progress is shown per page.
  4. Download and check. Open the result before sharing. Keep the original as a backup.

Compression level guide

  • Maximum (72 dpi, 40% quality) — smallest possible file. Good for sharing documents on screen where sharp detail is not needed. Images will look soft. Can achieve 70–90% reduction on image-heavy PDFs.
  • Balanced (120 dpi, 65% quality) — the recommended setting for most use cases. Looks good on screen and prints acceptably. Typically 40–75% size reduction.
  • High quality (150 dpi, 82% quality) — near-original appearance. Modest size reduction of 15–40%. Best when the document needs to look sharp when printed.

What changes in the output?

Because each page is rasterised (converted to an image), the output PDF will not have selectable text. All content becomes part of the image. The visual appearance depends on the quality level you choose — at Balanced and above, most documents look very similar to the original on screen.

What types of PDF benefit most?

  • Scanned documents — already images, compress very well.
  • PDFs with photos — large JPEG images inside compress significantly.
  • Exported reports and presentations — usually contain images that can be re-compressed.

Privacy

Your PDF is rendered and processed entirely in your browser using PDF.js and pdf-lib. Nothing is uploaded to any server at any point.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about PDF compression.

Why can't I select text in the output PDF?

This tool renders each page as an image to achieve real compression. The text becomes part of the image, so it is no longer selectable. If you need selectable text, keep the original file.

How much will my file shrink?

It depends on the content. Scanned documents and image-heavy PDFs typically shrink by 50–85% at Balanced settings. Text-only PDFs may shrink less because the vector text is small to begin with and is converted to an image which can actually be larger for simple text pages.

Does it work on scanned PDFs?

Yes — scanned PDFs are already images, so this method compresses them very effectively.

Can I compress a password-protected PDF?

No. Remove the password using the Unlock PDF tool first, then compress.

Is my file sent to a server?

No. Everything runs in your browser using PDF.js and pdf-lib. Your file never leaves your device.

Why does the output look slightly blurry?

At Maximum compression the resolution is 72 dpi, which is screen resolution. At Balanced (120 dpi) and High Quality (150 dpi), the output should look sharp on most screens. If sharpness is critical, use High Quality or the Custom settings to increase the DPI.