How to use Compress PDF
- Add one or more PDFs.
- Choose "Recommended" (sharp on any screen), "Strong" (for reading on a screen), or "Size in KB" and type the limit a form gives you, such as 500.
- Click "Compress PDF" and wait a moment. A progress bar shows the pictures being shrunk.
- Save the smaller PDF. Still too big? Choose "Strong" or a size in KB and compress again.
Why use Compress PDF
- Text stays selectable
- Only the pictures are re-encoded. Words, fonts, links, bookmarks and form fields are untouched, so the PDF can still be searched and copied from.
- Compress to a size in KB
- Type the limit, 100, 200 or 500 KB or 1 MB, and the tool finds the best quality that fits, like the image compressor. Pages such as compress PDF to 500KB and compress PDF to 1MB open with the limit set.
- Nothing uploaded
- The whole job runs in your browser, so contracts, IDs and bank statements never leave your device. Once it has compressed one file, it keeps working with Wi-Fi off while the page stays open.
- Honest results
- A picture is replaced only when the new version is clearly smaller, so a PDF never grows. If there is nothing to shrink, the tool says so.
About this tool
Compressing a PDF here is free, with no sign-up. The pictures inside are shrunk on your phone or computer, so the file is never uploaded and its text stays selectable. Most big PDFs are big because of pictures: a scanned page, a phone photo pasted into a report, a brochure with print-resolution images at 300 dots per inch. A screen shows about 150 to 200 dots per inch of an A4 page, so scaling those pictures down and saving them as good-quality JPEGs removes most of the size without a visible difference. That is what "Recommended" does. "Strong" goes further, to about 130 dots per inch, which still reads well on a screen but looks soft when printed.
A PDF made of text alone, with no pictures, is already small; its size comes from the embedded fonts and drawings, which this tool keeps. For a strict limit that pictures alone cannot reach, "Size in KB" can turn every page into one picture, the way scanner apps do. That reaches very small sizes, but the text on those pages can no longer be selected, so the tool only does it when you allow it and tells you when it did.
Frequently asked questions
How much smaller will my PDF get?
A scanned or picture-heavy PDF usually shrinks by 40 to 80% with "Recommended" and more with "Strong". A PDF with only text barely changes, because there are no pictures to shrink. The result shows the old and new sizes and how many pictures were shrunk.
Will the text still be selectable after compressing?
Yes. "Recommended" and "Strong" only re-encode the pictures; the text, fonts, links and form fields stay as they were. Only the "Size in KB" option may turn pages into pictures, and only if you leave that allowed; the result tells you when that happened.
Can I compress a PDF to 100 KB, 200 KB, 500 KB or 1 MB?
Yes. Choose "Size in KB" and pick 100, 200, 500 or 1000 (1 MB), or type any limit. The tool tries progressively smaller settings until the file fits. Pages such as compress PDF to 200 KB open with the limit already set.
Why did my PDF not get smaller?
Either it has no large pictures (the text, fonts and vector drawings are what take the space) or its pictures are already small. Compressing a PDF a second time with the same setting changes nothing, because the pictures are already at that size.
Can I compress a PDF without losing quality?
On a screen, yes: "Recommended" keeps pictures at screen resolution, so nothing visible is lost. Only printing shows the difference at "Strong". If you need to print, use "Recommended" or keep the original. A PDF size reducer cannot make a text-only PDF much smaller without losing something, so this tool leaves text alone.
Is there a file size limit?
No fixed limit. Everything runs on your device, so a very large PDF (hundreds of pages of scans) just takes longer, and an old phone may run out of memory. Several PDFs can be done at once.
Are my files uploaded?
No. The PDF is read, compressed and written in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server, which is why this works for contracts, IDs and statements.
Can I compress a PDF on an iPhone, iPad or Android phone?
Yes. Open this page in Safari or Chrome, choose the PDF from Files and tap "Compress PDF": the PDF is shrunk on the phone itself. On an iPhone or iPad the smaller file goes back to Files, or straight into Mail, with "Save to Files or share"; Android Chrome asks where to save it. It works the same on a Chromebook, free, with no sign-up and no app to install.
PDF size kam kaise kare? (How do I reduce a PDF's size on my phone?)
PDF size kam karne ka tarika yeh hai: PDF chunen aur "Compress PDF" dabayen. Mobile ya iPhone me bhi yahi page PDF ka size kam karta hai. On your phone, choose the PDF and tap "Compress PDF". For a form with a limit, pick "Size in KB" and type it, such as 100 or 500, and the tool works down to it. The smaller PDF is saved on the phone; nothing is uploaded.
Built and maintained by Saad Naeem
AI engineer, Doha · Updated