How to compress a PDF
- Choose or drop your PDF files.
- Pick how to compress: “Keep the text” (the text stays selectable) or “Maximum compression” (the smallest file).
- Pick a level (low, medium or high) or a maximum size, then click Compress.
- Download each PDF or all of them together in a ZIP.
What is it for?
Many job portals, government sites and study platforms reject PDFs over 1 MB, 500 KB or even 200 KB, and email services limit attachment size. This tool makes a PDF smaller while keeping it readable: with “Keep the text” the photos are shrunk and the text stays untouched; with “Maximum compression” every page becomes an image, which gives the smallest file, especially for scanned documents.
Everything happens in your browser, so contracts, certificates and personal documents are never uploaded to a server. You can compress several PDFs at once and download them together in a ZIP.
Limits to keep in mind
- A PDF that is mostly text can hardly be shrunk with “Keep the text”; if you need a smaller file, try “Maximum compression”.
- With “Maximum compression” the text becomes an image: it can no longer be selected, copied or searched, and the links and forms in the PDF stop working.
- Password-protected PDFs can’t be processed: remove the protection first. Very large files may not fit in your phone’s memory.
- Some image quality is lost when compressing. For high-quality printing, use the Low level or keep the original.
Frequently asked questions
Are my PDFs uploaded to a server?
No. Compression happens in your browser, on your device. Your documents are not sent anywhere.
How do I reduce the size of a PDF?
Drop the PDF, pick a compression level or a maximum size and click Compress. If the result is still too big, try “Maximum compression”.
What is the difference between “Keep the text” and “Maximum compression”?
“Keep the text” shrinks the images in the PDF and leaves the text as it is, so you can still select and search it. “Maximum compression” turns every page into an image: the file is much smaller, but the text can no longer be selected.
How do I compress a PDF to 1 MB or 200 KB?
Choose “Target size”, click the button for the size you need (or type a value in KB) and click Compress. The tool tries lower and lower qualities until it gets there. If that is not enough, try “Maximum compression”.
Why is the PDF the same size or barely smaller?
If the PDF is mostly text or already optimized, there is not much to cut and the original is kept. Try “Maximum compression” or a smaller target size.
Can I compress several PDFs at once?
Yes. Add as many as you like, compress them together and download them one by one or in a single ZIP.