Compress PDF
Make a PDF file smaller for email and upload forms. Light and Recommended keep the text selectable. Extreme saves the most.
Select a PDF fileor drop it anywhere on this page, or paste
Opens in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Compress PDF, free and private
Compress a PDF online for free when it is too big to email or upload. The default level shrinks large photos and rewrites the file structure, so text stays sharp, selectable and searchable.
Compression runs in your browser. The PDF is never uploaded, so scans, contracts and bank statements stay on your device.
How to compress a PDF
- 1
Add your PDF
Press Select PDF files or drop a PDF onto the page.
- 2
Choose a compression level
Pick Extreme, Recommended or Light. Recommended is the default and suits most files.
- 3
Compress the file
Press Compress PDF. Light and Recommended keep the text and drawings as they are. Extreme turns each page into an image.
- 4
Check the size and download
The result shows the size before and after and how much smaller the file is. Press Download PDF. If the file could not get smaller, you get your original back.
Why use PDFToolz for this
Text stays selectable
Light and Recommended never touch text, fonts or vector drawings. Links, bookmarks and form fields keep working too.
Never a bigger file
If no saving is possible, the result says This PDF is already compact and gives you the original file instead of a larger one.
Exact sizes shown
The result shows the size before and after, for example 4.2 MB to 1.1 MB, so you know right away if it fits an upload limit.
Free, and nothing is uploaded
No account, watermark or file cap. The only size limit is your device's memory, because the work happens in your browser.
Which PDF compression level to choose
The three levels go from no quality loss to the smallest file:
- Light is lossless. It rewrites the file structure with object streams and maximum Flate compression. Nothing on the page changes.
- Recommended does the same, then re-saves large photos as JPEG at 72% quality, with the longer side at most 1800 px. Text, fonts and vector graphics are untouched. This is the best choice for most scans and photo-heavy reports.
- Extreme renders every page as a JPEG at 96 DPI and 50% quality. It gives the smallest file, but the text is no longer selectable or searchable, and links and form fields stop working. Use it for files read only on screen.
Compress a PDF online free to a set size
Upload forms often ask for a file under 100 KB, 200 KB or 1 MB. Compress PDF to Size takes that number and finds the best quality that still fits, so you don't have to try each level by hand.
Why your PDF may not get smaller
A PDF that is mostly text is usually small already. Light and Recommended can only rewrite its structure, so the saving may be tiny. If nothing gets smaller, the tool keeps your original. Extreme can still shrink it, at the cost of selectable text.
Recommended leaves small images, CMYK images and images with masks as they are. A file full of those may not shrink much either.
Compress PDF vs resize PDF
Many people search for resize PDF when they want a smaller file. If you want fewer MB, this is the right tool. To change the page size, for example from Letter to A4, use Resize PDF Pages. To cut off white margins, use Crop PDF.
If the file is still too big, remove pages you don't need with Delete PDF Pages, or split it with Split PDF, then compress again.
Frequently asked questions
Add the PDF, keep Recommended or pick another level, and press Compress PDF. Then press Download PDF. It is free, with no sign-up, watermark or page limit, and the file is never uploaded.
Yes with Light and Recommended. Only Extreme turns pages into images, so the text can't be selected or searched. Run OCR PDF afterwards if you need searchable text in that file.
It depends on the content. Scans and PDFs with large photos often shrink a lot at Recommended. Text-only PDFs may barely change. The result shows the exact sizes before and after.
The file was probably compact already. The tool never gives you a bigger file, so you get the original back. Try Extreme if pages as images are fine for you.
Use Compress PDF to Size. Pick 100 KB, 200 KB, 500 KB or 1 MB, or type your own limit, and it finds the best quality that fits.
Yes, if you mean a smaller file size. To change the page size, for example to A4 or Letter, use Resize PDF Pages.
Yes. Files that open without a password work as they are. If the PDF asks for a password to open, remove it first with Unlock PDF.
Last reviewed . See how we build and test our tools, or report an error.
