How to Compress a PDF to Reduce File Size (Free)
4 min read
Try it: Compress PDF
Reduce PDF file size while keeping quality readable.
Why compress a PDF?
Email providers often cap attachments at around 20–25 MB, and many web forms reject large uploads. Image-heavy PDFs — scans, brochures, presentations — can easily exceed those limits.
Compressing a PDF reduces its file size by optimizing images and removing unused data, so it sends and uploads without trouble while staying perfectly readable.
How to compress a PDF online
- 1Open the Compress PDF tool and upload your file.
- 2Choose a compression level — smaller size for sharing, or higher quality for printing.
- 3Click compress and download your smaller PDF.
Choosing the right compression level
- Web: the smallest size — ideal for email and online sharing.
- eBook: a balanced option that keeps decent image quality.
- Printer: higher quality for documents you'll print.
- Lossless: minimal size change while preserving everything.
How much smaller will it get?
It depends on the content. Image-heavy PDFs can shrink by up to 90%, while text-only files are already compact and change less. If one pass isn't enough, try a smaller preset or reduce image resolution in the source document.
Compress your PDF now
Make your file email-ready in seconds — free and secure.