Free · in your browser

Free compress PDF tool.

Reduce the file size of scanned or image-heavy PDFs in your browser. Three compression levels, see exact bytes saved before you download. No upload, no signup, no watermark.

Combine PDFs instead →Turn pages into images →
  • 100% browser
  • Files never leave your device
  • No signup, no caps
  • GDPR & CCPA friendly
Compress PDF

Drop a PDF to compress

Best for scanned or image-heavy PDFs. Rendered and recompressed in your browser, nothing uploads.

What's in this compressor

Big scan in, small PDF out.

Browser-side PDF compression tuned for scanned and image-heavy documents. The one compressor where your files never touch a server.

Three compression levels

Light (better quality), Balanced, or Strong (smallest). Pick based on how tight your size limit is.

Exact bytes saved

See original size, compressed size, and the saving in bytes and percent before you download.

Best for scans

Scanned and image-heavy PDFs often shrink 50 to 80%. The win is largest where the pages are images.

Same page size

Pages keep their original print dimensions, so the compressed PDF prints at the same size.

Runs in your browser

pdf.js and pdf-lib do the work on your device. Nothing uploads. Private by design.

No upload, no signup

No accounts, no daily caps, no per-file size limit, no watermark. Nothing is logged.

FAQ

Common questions about compressing PDFs.

How do I compress a PDF?
Drop the PDF onto the tool, pick a compression level (Light, Balanced, or Strong), and click Compress. Each page is re-rendered and recompressed in your browser, and you see the exact bytes saved before downloading. No upload, no signup, no install.
What kind of PDFs shrink the most?
Scanned and image-heavy PDFs shrink the most, often by 50 to 80%, because the page images get recompressed. Text-only PDFs that already lack images may shrink little or not at all, since there is no image data to compress.
Will the text stay selectable?
No. This tool rasterizes each page (turns it into an image), so selectable text becomes part of the image. That is the trade-off for strong compression on scanned documents. If you need selectable text preserved, do not use a rasterizing compressor.
Is the compress PDF tool free?
Yes. No accounts, no daily caps, no per-file size limit, no watermark. Everything runs in your browser using pdf.js and pdf-lib.
Does my PDF upload anywhere?
No. The PDF is rendered and recompressed entirely on your device. Nothing uploads, nothing is logged. Important for contracts, statements, and sensitive documents.
Which compression level should I pick?
Light keeps better quality with a moderate size cut. Balanced is the sweet spot for most scanned documents. Strong gives the smallest file, useful when an upload form has a tight size limit (for example a government or insurance portal capped at a few MB).
Why would I need to compress a PDF?
Email and upload portals often cap attachment size (Gmail at 25 MB, many bank and government forms at 5 to 10 MB). A large scanned PDF gets rejected. Compressing brings it under the limit so it goes through.
Related reading

Photo guides on documentation and evidence.

Capture lighter

Scanning paperwork? Capture it at the right size from the start.

The iOS app caps photo dimensions on capture and stamps date, GPS, and address onto each shot, so the documents you assemble into PDFs are already lean and self-documenting.

Download on theApp Store
iOS 15.6+ · iPhone, iPad, Mac & Vision Pro
  • Capture dimension cap built in
  • Visible timestamp + GPS at the shutter
  • JPEG output, ready to assemble
  • Atomic (network-synced) time