Compress PDF — free, private how-to guide
Compress PDF file size in your browser, with no upload. Choose “Smaller file” to shrink scans and images, or “Keep text” for a lossless reduction that keeps text selectable — useful for email limits and court e-filing.
Updated
Step by step
Select a file
Drop a PDF — ideally a scanned or image-heavy one.
Pick a level
Trade quality for size with three presets.
Download
Save the compressed result, or keep your original if it didn’t shrink.
Open Compress PDFCommon use cases
- Shrink a scanned contract to email it
- Meet an e-filing size limit
- Reduce an image-heavy file while keeping text
Frequently asked questions
Why did my PDF not get smaller?
Text-based PDFs are already compact. This tool helps most with scanned, image-heavy documents.
Will compression make text blurry?
Only the “Smaller file” mode rasterizes pages. Use “Keep text” for a lossless option that keeps text crisp and selectable.
How much smaller will my PDF get?
It depends on the content — image-heavy scans shrink the most. The result screen shows the before/after size so you can compare.