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Compress PDF

Shrink a PDF losslessly by reorganising its structure, or reduce it further by recompressing the pages as JPEG images. The document is processed in your browser, without uploading.

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Recommended size: up to 100 MB

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How does this tool work?

Compressing a PDF reduces its size so you can email it, upload it to a portal that limits file size or store it more easily. Three modes are offered, from the most faithful to the most economical: one reorganises the file without touching the pages, the other two rebuild the pages as images to save much more. All compression is done in your browser.

Lossless - preserve document mode rewrites the PDF’s internal structure by grouping its objects into compressed streams. Pages do not change: selectable text, links, forms and quality are kept. The saving depends on the file: large for a poorly optimised PDF, small or none for a document that is already compact.

Balanced and Strong - rasterize modes draw each page as a JPEG image and rebuild a PDF at the original page size. Balanced uses about 83 dots per inch (685 × 968 pixels for an A4 page), Strong about 65 dots per inch (536 × 758 pixels). The Image quality slider, from 30 to 95% (72% by default), sets the JPEG compression.

These two modes shrink image-heavy PDFs dramatically, scans in particular, but text is no longer selectable, links and form fields disappear and small print may blur. Always compare the size and readability of the result before replacing your original.

How to use this tool

  1. Import the PDF

    Choose the oversized document; it stays on your device.

  2. Choose the mode

    Start with Lossless; if the saving is not enough, move to Balanced, then Strong, adjusting image quality.

  3. Download and check

    Open the compressed file, check readability and compare its size with the original.

Use cases

Meet an upload limit

Get a scanned file under the 5 or 10 MB required by a portal or email service.

Lighten a photo-heavy PDF

Shrink a catalogue or illustrated report meant to be read on screen.

Optimise an office export

Save space on a PDF exported without optimisation, losing nothing, with lossless mode.

Examples

A4 scan in Balanced mode

595.28 × 1.15 ≈ 685 and 841.89 × 1.15 ≈ 968: the image holds about 13 times fewer pixels than the original scan, hence a much lighter file. Text stays readable on screen but is no longer selectable.

Input

A4 page scanned at 300 dpi (about 2,480 × 3,508 pixels), Balanced mode, 72% quality

Result

Page rebuilt as a 685 × 968-pixel JPEG image, still A4

Tips and best practices

  • Always keep the original: rasterising compression cannot be undone.
  • For a text document exported from a word processor, Lossless mode is almost always the right choice.
  • If the file is still over the limit, cut it with Split a PDF by size or page count.
  • Remove unnecessary or blank pages first: it is the safest saving.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the three modes?

Lossless reorganises the file without touching the pages. Balanced and Strong turn the pages into JPEG images, about 83 and 65 dots per inch, to save far more at the cost of selectable text.

Why did my PDF barely shrink in Lossless mode?

Because it was already well optimised or its images were already compressed. Only the rasterising modes then reduce the size noticeably.

Can the compressed file be larger than the original?

Yes, it can, for example for a very light text PDF converted to images. Compare sizes and keep the smaller version.

Does text stay selectable?

Yes in Lossless mode. No in Balanced and Strong modes, where each page becomes an image; run the result through OCR if needed.

Are links and forms kept?

In Lossless mode, yes. The rasterising modes remove them, because the pages are only images.

Is my document sent to a compression server?

No. All compression is calculated in your browser; the file does not leave your device.

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