Compress PDF – Free, Fast & Private
Shrink PDF files locally in your browser — even to an exact size like 200KB — contracts, scans and reports never leave your device
How to compress a PDF
Choose or drag in your PDF — it stays on your device, nothing is uploaded. Need an exact size? Set a target like 200KB first.
Compression starts instantly: three versions to compare, or the closest fit under your target size.
Compare the sizes and download the version that fits.
Compress a PDF to a specific size — 100KB, 200KB, 500KB or 1MB
Upload forms for job applications, visa portals and government systems often enforce a hard limit like "PDF under 200KB". Instead of compressing blindly and hoping, set the target first: this tool searches for the highest image quality that still fits under your limit and gives you exactly that file.
If the available lossless stream and image settings cannot reach the limit, we say so honestly, show you the smallest size we could achieve, and still give you that version to download.
About PDF compression
Most of a PDF's size is its embedded images: scans, photos and slide graphics. This tool re-compresses those images at a resolution appropriate for reading, directly in your browser — the text stays sharp, selectable and searchable.
Unlike other online PDF compressors, nothing is uploaded. That matters for PDFs more than anything else you compress: contracts, invoices, ID scans and medical documents stay on your device, always.
Frequently asked questions
Flip the switch under the upload box from "Fully automatic" to "Exact size", enter your limit (say 100KB), then drop in your PDF. The tool automatically searches for the highest image quality that still fits under your limit and hands you that exact file — no trial and error with quality sliders.
We re-encode images and losslessly repack supported page-content streams. Embedded fonts and other PDF structures can still prevent a file from reaching your target. When that happens, we show the smallest version we could make.
The tighter the target, the lower the image resolution needs to go — text always stays sharp because it is never rasterized. The result card tells you what image DPI the target required, and you also get a higher-quality alternative in case your limit turns out to be flexible.
It re-encodes embedded images at a reading-appropriate resolution and losslessly repacks supported page drawing streams, then writes compact PDF object streams. Text and vector content is never rasterized — it stays sharp at any zoom.
No. Compression runs entirely in your browser using WebAssembly-grade local processing. Contracts, invoices and ID scans never leave your device — there is no upload, no queue and no server that could retain a copy.
Yes. Supported text drawing streams can be repacked without changing their decoded instructions. Text remains selectable and searchable; fonts, bookmarks, links and form fields are preserved.
Results depend on how the PDF was made. Image-heavy files often shrink substantially; text-only files may be compact already or may benefit from lossless page-stream repacking. The result card shows the actual before-and-after sizes.
Its page streams or images may already be efficiently compressed, or its images may use formats we leave untouched for safety. We replace a stream only when the new encoding saves space.
Rewriting a PDF always invalidates existing digital signatures — this is true of every PDF compressor. If your file contains a signature we tell you in the result, so you can decide whether the smaller copy or the signed original is the one to share.
Not directly — remove the password first (open it with the password and save an unprotected copy), then compress.
No. This tool targets screen reading and sharing. Print-production PDFs (CMYK images, spot colors, high-DPI requirements) are deliberately left untouched by our safety rules, so you may see little reduction — keep using your press workflow for those.
Yes — free and unlimited, with no watermark, signup or daily quota. Because processing happens on your device, we have no per-file server costs to charge for.
Up to 500MB per PDF, with no limit on the number of files. Very large scanned files are processed page by page to stay within browser memory.