PDF Compressor

Shrink a PDF's file size with one simple slider, where each level says exactly what it does and what it's best for, and download a smaller file, all in your browser.

runs locally on your browser. Your data never leaves your device.

Drag & drop a PDF file here

or

Common Use Cases

Shrink a scanned contract or report below an email attachment size limit
Remove hidden file details from a PDF before sharing it publicly
Shrink the photos in a brochure or slide deck without losing selectable text
Turn a scanned document into the smallest possible file for long-term storage

About PDF Compressor

A PDF that's too big to email, too slow to upload to a portal, or that's eating up space on a shared drive is one of the most common file headaches there is. This tool shrinks a PDF right in your browser: no waiting on an upload, no account, and nothing ever leaves your device.

Rather than a maze of separate options, there's one slider with four levels, and each level does a bit more than the last. Light removes the hidden details saved inside a PDF (like who created it and when) without touching anything on the page, a quick clean-up before sharing a file. Balanced does the same, plus repacks the file's internal structure more efficiently, which is a good safe default for most files since it never touches your text, fonts, or image quality.

Aggressive does everything Balanced does, plus finds the photos inside your PDF and shrinks them down while keeping your text perfectly sharp and still selectable; it's usually the biggest jump in savings, and the best choice for reports, brochures, or anything that mixes text and images. Extreme goes further still: every page becomes a single picture, similar to scanning the document again, which gives you the smallest possible file but means the text can no longer be selected or searched, a good fit for scanned documents or whenever file size matters more than anything else.

Whichever level you pick, the tool tells you in one line exactly what it's about to do and what that level is best for before you click the button, and the exact result (before size, after size, and percentage saved) is always shown once it's done.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my PDF uploaded anywhere while it's being compressed?
No. The file is read directly into your browser's memory as soon as you select it, and every compression level runs entirely on your device using client-side JavaScript. Nothing is uploaded, transmitted, logged, or stored anywhere, even if your connection drops after the page has loaded.
Which level should I use?
Balanced is a good default for most files: it removes hidden details and repacks the file with zero loss in quality. If your PDF mixes text with photos and you want bigger savings, use Aggressive; it keeps your text selectable. If you need the smallest file possible and don't care whether the text is selectable (e.g. a scanned document), use Extreme. Light is the gentlest option, for when you only want hidden details removed and nothing else touched.
What exactly does each level do?
Each level applies everything the level before it does, plus one more step: Light removes hidden file details (author, edit history, and similar). Balanced also repacks the file's internal structure to be more efficient. Aggressive also shrinks the photos embedded in the PDF, without touching text. Extreme replaces every page with a picture of that page, which gives the smallest file but means the text is no longer selectable. The tool shows the current level's exact effect in one line before you compress.
Will compressing make my text blurry or impossible to select?
Only at the Extreme level, which turns every page into a single picture, so the text can no longer be selected or searched afterward. Light, Balanced, and Aggressive never touch your text or fonts; it stays exactly as sharp and selectable as in the original file.
Why didn't my file get much smaller?
It depends on what's taking up space in the original file. If a PDF is already small and efficient, Light and Balanced won't have much left to trim, so try Aggressive or Extreme instead. Aggressive only shrinks regular JPEG-style photos without transparency, so a PDF whose size comes from other kinds of images or from fonts and drawings may see a smaller improvement. And a mostly-text document can end up barely smaller (or even a little bigger) at the Extreme level, since text usually takes up very little space as text but a lot more once it's turned into a picture; the exact result is always shown after compressing, so this is easy to spot and undo by picking a lower level.
Can I compress a password-protected PDF?
Not currently, since encrypted or password-protected PDFs can't be read in the browser and will show an error when you try to load them. Remove the password using your PDF viewer's own tools first, then compress the unprotected file.

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