Compress PDF
Reduce PDF file size online, free. Best for scanned or image-heavy PDFs. Choose a compression level and download — all in your browser. No sign-up, nothing uploaded.
Make your PDF smaller — privately
Need to email or upload a PDF that’s too big? This free compressor reduces PDF file size right in your browser — your scanned contracts, IDs and statements are never uploaded to a server. Most “compress PDF” sites upload your file; this one doesn’t.
How to compress a PDF
- Add your PDF — drag and drop it above, or click to browse.
- Pick a level — Light (best quality), Recommended, or Maximum (smallest file).
- Compress & download — you’ll see the exact before → after size, then download.
What works best (an honest note)
The biggest savings come from scanned and image-heavy PDFs, which are large because of their images — these commonly shrink 40–70%. Compression works by re-rendering each page as an optimised image, so:
- Scanned PDFs compress beautifully and lose nothing (the pages were already images).
- Plain text PDFs are usually already small; compressing them would turn the text into an image for little benefit, so the tool tells you when your file is already well-optimised rather than degrading it.
We’d rather be honest about the result than overpromise. Need other PDF tools? Try Merge PDF, Split PDF, or Image to PDF.
Frequently asked questions
Is this PDF compressor free?
Yes — free with no account, no sign-up, and no watermark.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. Your PDF is compressed entirely inside your web browser and is never uploaded to or stored on our servers. That's especially important for the scanned IDs, contracts and statements people often need to shrink.
What kind of PDFs does this compress best?
Scanned documents and image-heavy PDFs, which are large because of their images. Those can shrink a lot. Plain text PDFs are usually already small, so there's little to compress — the tool will tell you when that's the case rather than degrade your file.
Will the text still be selectable?
Compression re-renders pages as optimised images, so on a text PDF the text becomes an image. For scanned PDFs the pages are already images, so nothing is lost. If you need selectable text, keep the original — the tool shows you the before and after size so you can decide.
How much smaller will my PDF get?
It depends on the file. Image-heavy and scanned PDFs commonly shrink by 40–70%. The tool shows the exact before and after size so you can see the real result.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes — it works in any modern browser on phone, tablet or desktop.