PDF Compress
Reduce PDF file sizes with our PDF Compress tool.
How it works: Upload a PDF and choose compression settings. The tool renders each page at your chosen DPI and JPEG quality, then rebuilds a new PDF. Lower DPI and quality result in smaller files. Note: This rasterizes pages into images, so text won't be selectable in the output. All processing happens in your browser—no uploads.
Overview
Use this PDF compressor when a document is too large to email, upload, or store comfortably, especially if it is a scanned PDF or image-heavy file. It is most useful when file size matters more than preserving selectable text, because the compression method rebuilds pages as lighter images.
About
When PDF compression like this makes sense
This kind of PDF compression is best for bulky scans, photo-heavy forms, and archive copies where the main goal is a smaller file. It is less suitable when you need perfectly preserved text layers or searchability. The useful tradeoff is simple: you shrink the file by lowering image detail, and in return you get something easier to send, upload, or keep. That tradeoff should be obvious to the visitor, not hidden behind generic copy.
Features:
- Reduce the size of scanned or image-heavy PDFs directly in the browser
- Adjust DPI, JPEG quality, and grayscale settings to control the size-quality tradeoff
- Use it for email attachments, portal uploads, document archiving, and lighter file sharing
- Compare before-and-after file sizes before downloading the new PDF
- Keep files local instead of uploading them to a third-party service
FAQ
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. All processing happens locally in your browser.
Why can't I select text after compression?
This fast method rasterizes pages into images to shrink size. It trades selectable text for smaller files.
How do I get smaller files?
Lower the DPI and/or JPEG quality, and enable grayscale if color isn't needed.
Related Tools
Compress PDFs by downscaling pages and re-encoding images at your chosen DPI and JPEG quality settings. Perfect for reducing large scanned documents, photo-heavy PDFs, or files that are too big to email. Choose a target DPI from 72 to 150, set JPEG quality from 30% to 90%, and optionally convert to grayscale for maximum compression. The tool renders each page at your specified settings and rebuilds a smaller PDF. All processing happens locally in your browser using pdf-lib—no uploads, complete privacy. Note that this compression method rasterizes pages, so text becomes non-selectable. Great for archiving, email attachments, or reducing storage space. Download your compressed PDF instantly and use it anywhere.