Edit PDF

Compress PDF

Shrink a PDF — lossless structural optimization, or stronger rasterized modes for image-heavy and scanned files.

PDF file

Choose a file to convert. It's processed locally — never uploaded. Tip: add several files to convert them all at once.

Settings

Output

Result appears here after you select

{ } Three modes, three different results

  • High quality (default) — the PDF is re-saved with object streams. Nothing visible changes: text stays selectable and images keep their bytes. It helps most on files assembled from many sources or written by older software; a PDF that is already optimized may shrink by only a few percent.
  • Balanced — every page is rendered to a JPEG at 1.5× scale and 72 % quality, and a new PDF is built from those images at the original page sizes.
  • Maximum — the same, at 1× scale and 50 % quality. The smallest files; small text visibly softens.

{ } Why some PDFs barely shrink

A PDF is mostly its images. If those are already JPEGs at a sensible quality, lossless optimization has little left to remove, and only the rasterized modes make a real difference — at the cost of turning each page into one picture. If a mode produces a file that is not smaller, the summary says so; keep the original in that case.

{ } What the rasterized modes cost

  • Text becomes part of an image: it can no longer be selected, searched or copied. Run OCR PDF on the result if you need a text layer back.
  • Links, form fields, bookmarks and annotations are not carried over — the new file has flat pages only.
  • Vector graphics such as logos and diagrams become pixels at the chosen scale.
  • Transparent areas are painted white, because JPEG has no alpha channel.

{ } Practical notes

  • The summary shows the size before and after and the percentage saved, so you can compare modes on the same file.
  • Password-protected PDFs must be unlocked first (Unlock PDF).
  • High quality does no rendering and finishes almost instantly; Balanced and Maximum render every page in your browser, so a 200-page scan takes noticeably longer.

{ } How it works

Compress PDF works on the file you upload. Adjust the options, then select Process ▸ and it runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded to a server — then shows the result in the Output panel.

Inputs

  • PDF file — upload a file (.pdf); it is read locally in your browser
  • Compression — choose one — High quality (lossless), Balanced (smaller, rasterized), Maximum (smallest, rasterized) (default: High quality (lossless))

Output

A downloadable PDF file — use the Download button in the Output panel.

{ } Common uses

  • Get a PDF under an email or upload size limit.
  • Heavily shrink a scanned or image-heavy document (Balanced/Maximum).
  • Losslessly tidy a PDF assembled from many sources (High quality).

{ } Limitations

  • High quality is lossless (object streams) — no visual change, but image-heavy PDFs may shrink little.
  • Balanced and Maximum rasterize each page to a JPEG and rebuild the PDF: great for scans, but selectable text becomes an image and small text can look less sharp.
  • If a mode doesn’t make the file smaller, the summary says so — keep your original in that case.

{ } Troubleshooting

High quality barely shrank my file.

It’s already optimized or dominated by images. Try Balanced or Maximum, which resample pages to images.

My text looks fuzzy after compressing.

That’s the rasterized (Balanced/Maximum) mode turning pages into images. Use High quality to keep text crisp.

{ } FAQ

Is my data uploaded to a server?

No. Everything runs locally in your browser — your files never leave your device.

Can I process more than one file at once?

Yes — add several files and they’re all processed and downloaded together as a ZIP.

Is this tool free?

Yes — it’s completely free and needs no sign-up.

Which mode should I choose?

High quality for text documents (lossless). Balanced or Maximum for scans and photo-heavy PDFs, where rasterizing shrinks the file most.

Does High quality change how the PDF looks?

No — it’s lossless, so pages are identical.

{ } Guides