PDF Compressor

What is pdf compressor?

Many sites limit PDF uploads to 1 or 2 megabytes. Scans and photo based files are often much larger than that.

This compressor renders each page and saves it again as a JPEG at the quality you choose, then builds a new PDF. It works well for scans and image heavy files. It does not help text based PDFs that are already small, and the tool will tell you if the result is not smaller.

How to use the pdf compressor

1. Choose your PDF.
2. Choose a quality level.
3. Press Compress PDF, check the new size and download the result.

How the pdf compressor works

Each page is drawn on a canvas at a scale set by the quality level, saved as a JPEG with a matching quality, and added to a new PDF with the original page size. The page text becomes part of the picture.

Worked example

Common uses of the pdf compressor

• Meeting upload size limits.
• Emailing scanned documents.
• Shrinking photo PDFs.
• Saving storage.
• Preparing visa and application files.

Tips and common mistakes

Keep your original, because the compressed copy cannot be searched by text.

If the text looks too soft, use the high quality setting.

Background: what to know before you rely on it

PDF size depends mostly on images. A text page is a few kilobytes, while a scanned page is a full color photo that can reach several megabytes. The most effective way to shrink a scan is to lower the resolution and JPEG quality, which is what this tool does. Desktop programs can also compress images inside the file without flattening text, but that needs more complex software. For official documents, check the minimum quality the receiving office requires, since a compressed scan can be rejected if small print is unreadable.

Private, free and fast

This tool runs in your browser. Your PDF is processed on your device and is not uploaded to a server. It is free to use as often as you like. See more in all pdf and media tools, or browse the full list of tools.

Related tools

Results are for information and education. For legal, financial, medical or security decisions, check with a qualified professional. Always keep your original files. Compression is lossy.