Compress PDF
Reduces PDF size by re-encoding embedded images. Does not remove unused resources, subset fonts, or repair stream encoding.
About Compress PDF
Compress PDF shrinks a file by re-encoding the images embedded inside it at a lower quality, which is where most of the bloat in scanned or image-heavy documents lives. It's the quick fix for a PDF that's too big to email or upload. Compression runs entirely in your browser, so the document is never sent to a server.
- Category
- optimize
- Input
- Accepts: application/pdf.
- Output
- Outputs: application/pdf.
- Cost
- Free, runs in your browser
- Memory
- high
Common uses
- Get a scanned, image-heavy contract under a 10 MB email attachment limit
- Shrink a photo-laden portfolio PDF before posting it to a job application portal
- Reduce the size of a presentation export so it loads faster when shared in a chat
- Trim a multi-page scanned receipt bundle down for cheaper cloud storage
- Lighten a brochure full of high-resolution images for faster downloads on your site
Frequently asked questions
Is my PDF uploaded to compress it?
No. Re-encoding happens locally in your browser; the file stays on your device.
How does it actually reduce the size?
It re-encodes the images embedded in the PDF at a lower quality. It does not remove unused resources, subset fonts, or repair stream encoding.
Will text-only PDFs shrink much?
Usually not. The savings come from images, so a document that's mostly vector text has little to compress.
Does compressing hurt the image quality?
There's a tradeoff — lower quality means a smaller file. For scans and photos the loss is often unnoticeable at normal viewing sizes.
Is the original file changed?
No. You get a new, smaller PDF and your source file is untouched.
Keywords
- compress
- optimize
- reduce
- size
- images