Compress PDF

Try reducing a PDF for email or a size-limited upload. The right setting depends on whether preserving text and detail matters more than file size.

Open Compress PDF · Read the guide

How to: step-by-step

Select your PDF and note its original size.
Start with Basic Compression, which repacks the document.
If needed, try Strong or Maximum on a copy. These turn pages into images.
Download and compare size, small text, diagrams and search behaviour before sharing.

Tips for better results

Use Basic first for documents with selectable text.
Keep the uncompressed original for later editing or printing.

Common pitfalls

Strong and Maximum can remove selectable text and interactive features.
Already optimized PDFs may not get smaller; compression is not a guaranteed size reduction.

Worked example

Example: a portal accepts files under 2 MB but your PDF is 5 MB. Try Basic first and check the downloaded size. If it is still too large, test Strong on a copy and inspect small text at 100% zoom. If quality becomes unacceptable, splitting the document may be better when the portal allows multiple files. These sizes illustrate a decision, not a promised compression result.

Before you finish