PDF Compressor
Make your PDF smaller for email and uploads. Images are resampled; text stays sharp.
About the PDF Compressor
Large PDF files are a common problem. Email services often refuse attachments above 20 or 25 MB, job application portals and government websites set strict upload limits, and a heavy document takes a long time to open on a phone. The PDF Compressor makes your document smaller so it fits through those limits, while keeping the text sharp and the layout exactly as it was.
Most of the size of a typical PDF comes from images: scanned pages, photos in a report, screenshots in a presentation or high-resolution product pictures in a catalogue. These images are often stored at a much higher resolution than any screen or printer needs. The compressor rewrites the PDF with Ghostscript, a proven open-source PDF engine, and resamples the images to a sensible resolution. Text, vector graphics and fonts are kept as they are, so headings and paragraphs stay perfectly crisp and remain selectable and searchable.
You can choose between three levels. High compression reduces images to 72 DPI and produces the smallest file; it is ideal for documents that will only be read on screen or sent by email. Balanced compression, the recommended default, uses 150 DPI images, which look good on screen and are still fine when printed at home, while the file usually shrinks dramatically. Light compression keeps images at 300 DPI print quality and gives a more modest reduction, which is useful when the document will be printed professionally. Fonts are subset and duplicate images are stored only once, which also helps with documents that were merged from several files.
After compression you see the original size, the new size and the percentage saved. Some PDFs are already well optimized, for example documents exported directly from a word processor without images. If compression would not make such a file smaller, the tool simply gives you back your original file instead of a larger one, and tells you so. You never end up with a bigger file than the one you started with.
Your file is uploaded over an encrypted HTTPS connection and processed on our server in an isolated queue. Both the uploaded PDF and the compressed result are deleted automatically within minutes, and a periodic cleanup removes anything left behind. Files are never shared or used for anything else. The tool is free, works without registration and accepts PDF files up to 50 MB. The downloaded file keeps your original name with “-compressed” added, so it is easy to tell apart from the original.
Frequently asked questions
Will compression make my text blurry?
No. Only embedded images are resampled. Text and vector graphics are kept as they are, so they stay sharp at any zoom level and remain searchable.
Which compression level should I choose?
Balanced is the best choice for most documents. Use High when the file only needs to be read on screen or must fit a strict email limit, and Light when the document will be printed in high quality.
Why did my PDF not get smaller?
Documents that contain mostly text, or that were already optimized, have little left to compress. In that case the tool returns your original file instead of a larger one and tells you that it was kept.
Is there a file size limit?
Yes, you can upload PDF files up to 50 MB. Larger files are rejected before upload so you do not have to wait for nothing.
Are my files stored on the server?
Only for as long as processing takes. The uploaded PDF and the result are deleted automatically within minutes, and they are never shared or used for anything else.
Can I compress password-protected PDFs?
PDFs that require a password to open cannot be processed. Remove the password in your PDF reader first, then compress the file.