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Compress a PDF

Shrink PDFs for email and upload portals, with every compression level free.

or drop them here · one or many

Works best on scans and photo-heavy PDFs. Text-only files may barely shrink — if we can’t make yours smaller, you get the original back.

Processed in your browser. Your files are never uploaded. How we know

How to compress a PDF, or get it under a size limit like 1 MB

Email attachments are often capped at 20–25 MB, and application portals for jobs, visas and universities frequently ask for 1 MB or 2 MB, or sometimes as little as 200 KB. This tool reduces PDF size on your own device, with three quality levels and a Target size mode that aims for a limit you set. It works best on scans and photo-heavy documents; we explain why below, before you spend time on a file that won’t shrink.

  1. 1

    Open your PDFs

    Choose one file or several to compress as a batch.

  2. 2

    Pick a level

    Light, Balanced or Strong, or set a target size such as 1 MB.

  3. 3

    Download

    See the before and after size of each file, then save.

Compress PDF features

  • Light, Balanced and Strong levels (images kept up to about 200, 150 and 100 ppi)
  • Target size mode with 200 KB, 500 KB, 1 MB, 2 MB and 5 MB shortcuts
  • Batch compression of several PDFs at once
  • Optional grayscale conversion and metadata removal
  • Text, fonts, links and form fields left untouched
  • Never hands back a file bigger than the one you started with

How PDF compression works on your device

Compression happens on your device: the PDF is opened in this tab, rebuilt in memory and saved back to you, never uploaded.

Most of a large PDF’s weight is usually photos and scanned pages. We resize each image to suit the size it is shown at (about 200, 150 or 100 pixels per inch for Light, Balanced and Strong) and re-save it as a JPEG. We also merge duplicate copies of the same image, remove embedded page thumbnails and repack the file structure. Text, fonts, links and form fields are left alone, so text stays sharp and searchable.

Some image types (CMYK, 16-bit, JBIG2 and JPEG 2000, among others) are left unchanged, and the result tells you how many. If we can’t make a file smaller, you get the original back. We never hand you a bigger file.

Worked example

Getting a scanned form under 1 MB

A four-page application scanned at 600 dpi on a phone app comes out at around 9 MB. Choose Target size and tap the 1 MB shortcut. The tool tries Light first, then Balanced, Strong and finally Maximum, and stops at the first level that fits. A scan like this typically fits at Balanced or Strong; the result card shows the before and after sizes and the percentage saved. If even Maximum can’t reach the target, you get the smallest version we could make, clearly marked “best achieved, above target”.

Good to know

  • Text-only PDFs exported from Word or similar are already compact and may shrink by only a few per cent. That’s normal, not a fault.
  • Convert images to grayscale saves extra space on scans of black-and-white documents.
  • Remove metadata strips the title, author and editing history, which is useful before sharing a file externally.
  • Our guide How to compress a PDF to a specific size covers what’s realistic for 200 KB, 500 KB and 1 MB limits.

Related tools and guides

Merge PDFPDF to JPG

Compress PDF: frequently asked questions

Why didn’t my PDF get much smaller?

PDFs that are mostly text are already compact, and some image formats are left untouched. Compression works best on scans and image-heavy documents. Try Strong or the Target size option before giving up.

Will text still be searchable?

Yes. We only re-encode images; text, fonts and any OCR text layer are kept as they were.

Is the quality OK for printing?

Use Light (about 200 ppi) for anything you will print. Balanced (about 150 ppi) is ideal for screens and email; Strong is for when size matters most.

Can I compress to an exact size like 200 KB?

Choose Target size and enter the limit. We try each level in turn and stop at the first that fits. Whether 200 KB is reachable depends on how many pages and images the file has.

Are all compression levels really free?

Yes. Every level, the target-size mode and batch compression are free, with no daily limit and no watermark.