Compress a PDF
Make a PDF smaller while keeping its text sharp and searchable, or squeeze a scan to fit under a size limit like 1 MB.
Drop your file here
or click to browse
Nothing has left this page since you opened the tool. Show network activity
The browser enforces this: the site’s security policy only lets the page talk to the code libraries’ servers and an anonymous usage counter (tool name, file type, size range). A request carrying your file to anywhere else would be blocked before it left.
Check it yourself: open your browser’s developer tools, go to the Network tab, and run the tool. Or turn off Wi-Fi once the tool has loaded; it keeps working.
How it works
Make a PDF smaller while keeping its text sharp and searchable, or squeeze a scan to fit under a size limit like 1 MB.
The tool looks inside your PDF first and tells you what it's made of: how much of the size is photos, and whether the pages are scans with no text. It then suggests one of two methods. Keep text sharp re-encodes only the photos inside the file and leaves text, fonts, links and form fields exactly as they were, so the result is still selectable, searchable and accessible. Smallest file redraws every page as an image, which gives the biggest savings on scans, phone photos of documents and image-heavy decks, but text can no longer be selected. Pick Light, Recommended or Strong, or switch on Fit under a size and choose 200 KB, 500 KB, 1 MB, 2 MB, 5 MB or 10 MB for email attachments and upload portals; the tool finds the best quality that fits. Black and white drops colour for extra savings on colour scans of plain documents. Before you download, drag the line across any page to compare the original with the compressed version, and zoom in to check small print. If a file can't get smaller, it says so instead of handing you a bigger one. Everything runs on pdf-lib and pdf.js in your browser.
How to use it
- Drop your PDF. Drag it in. The tool shows how much of the file is photos and whether the pages are scans.
- Pick a method. Keep text sharp for documents, Smallest file for scans. Choose a strength, or a size limit like 1 MB.
- Compress and compare. Press Compress, then drag the line across any page to compare the original with the result.
- Download or keep going. Download the smaller PDF, or send it straight to Password protect, Sign or another tool.
Frequently asked questions
- Will text still be selectable after compressing?
- Yes with Keep text sharp, which only shrinks the photos inside and leaves text, links and forms untouched. Smallest file turns pages into images, so text is no longer selectable; use it for scans.
- Can I compress a PDF to under 1 MB?
- Yes. Choose Smallest file, switch on Fit under a size and pick 1 MB (or 200 KB, 500 KB, 2 MB, 5 MB, 10 MB). It tries quality and resolution until the file fits, keeping it as sharp as possible.
- How much smaller will my PDF get?
- It depends on what's inside. PDFs full of photos or scans often shrink 60 to 90%. Text-only PDFs are already small and may barely change; the tool shows what share of your file is photos before you start.
- Does this upload my PDF?
- No. The file is read and compressed in your browser with pdf-lib and pdf.js. You can watch the network log on the page: none of the requests contain your file.
- Why didn't my PDF get smaller?
- It was probably already optimized, or it's mostly text and fonts. If Keep text sharp can't shrink it, try Smallest file; if neither helps, the file is already about as small as it gets.