Will my text stay searchable?
Yes. Text is not touched during compression.
Compress PDF
Reduce PDF size for faster sharing.
Downsample scanned pages, reduce image quality, strip metadata, and rebuild optimized PDFs with real before/after sizes.
This tool sends your file to the server
Compression needs Ghostscript, which cannot run in a browser. Your file is processed and deleted within 60 minutes. It is never stored, never shared, and never used to train anything.
Need it to stay local? Merge, Split, Rotate and our other tools run entirely in your browser.
Compression level
Result preview
Choose a PDF to see compression results.
Action panel
Medium is recommended. Use High for scanned PDFs that need a much smaller size.
Free for everyone, no login required.
Your file is sent to our server for compression, not just processed in your browser.
Premium adds saved history and an ad-free workspace.
What this tool does
Compress PDF reduces document size by optimizing images and rebuilding the PDF structure so files are easier to upload, email, and archive. Unlike every other tool on this site, compression runs on our server. Ghostscript, the engine that performs meaningful PDF compression, cannot run inside a browser. Your file is processed and deleted within 60 minutes. It is never stored beyond that, never shared, and never used to train anything. If you need your file to stay on your device, use Merge, Split, Rotate, Crop or any of our other tools — those run entirely in your browser. We would rather tell you this plainly than let you assume otherwise.
When to use Compress PDF
- • Scanned documents typically see large reductions, often between 60% and 90%. This is where compression earns its keep.
- • Text-based PDFs see minor reductions, sometimes almost none. There is very little to remove.
- • Mixed documents land somewhere between, driven by how much of the page area is images.
Why it is useful
- • Smaller files send faster and download faster on phones.
- • It reduces failed sends caused by oversized attachments.
- • It is practical for receipts, statements, and signed forms on the go.
How to use Compress PDF
- 1. Upload one PDF file.
- 2. Choose the compression setting that matches your document.
- 3. Run the server-side compression process.
- 4. Download the optimized file and review the output before sending it.
Privacy and safety note
Compression works by downsampling images to a sensible resolution, re-encoding them more efficiently, and removing redundant embedded resources and unused objects. Text is left alone: it is already small, and re-encoding it would break searchability. Your file is processed and deleted within 60 minutes and never stored beyond that.
Frequently asked questions
Can I compress to a specific target size?
Not directly. Compression is quality-driven rather than size-driven, so results depend on your file's content.
Why did my file barely shrink?
It was most likely already efficient — either text-based, or previously compressed.
How long is my file on your server?
It is deleted within 60 minutes and used for nothing except your compression.
Is there a version that does not upload?
Not currently. Browser-based compression cannot achieve comparable results.