Compress PDF
Reduce the size of a PDF by re-rendering every page at a lower resolution and storing it as a JPEG. This tool is deliberate about the trade it makes: the result is a picture of the document, so the text inside stops being selectable, searchable or copyable. For a scanned document that was already true and the saving is usually large. For a PDF of real text it is normally the wrong tool — so the file is checked when you upload it and you are told which kind you have before you change any settings. Resolution and image quality are both adjustable, with presets from a barely visible reduction to an aggressive one, plus a greyscale option that shrinks colour scans noticeably.
How it works
Every page is re-rendered at a lower resolution and stored as a JPEG, which is what makes the file smaller. Be clear about the trade: the result is a picture of the document, so the text in it stops being selectable, searchable or copyable.
For a scanned document that was already true and the saving is usually large. For a PDF of real text this is normally the wrong tool — the check below says which kind you have uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
How does this compress a PDF?
It re-renders each page as an image at a lower resolution and rebuilds the document around those images. That is what makes the file smaller.
Will I lose the text in my PDF?
Yes — it becomes part of the page image, so it can no longer be selected, searched or copied. The document is checked on upload and you are warned before you do anything if it contains real text.
When is this the right tool?
For scanned documents. Their pages are already images, so re-rendering costs nothing that was not already lost, and the saving is often substantial.
Why did the file get bigger?
Because the original was already well compressed, so re-encoding it added rather than saved. Lower the resolution or quality, or keep the file you have — the tool tells you when this happens.
What does the greyscale option do?
It removes colour, which shrinks a colour scan noticeably. Only use it when the colour carries no meaning.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. The whole process runs in your browser, which matters for the contracts and statements people usually need to compress.
Related tools
PDF to Images
Render each page of a PDF as a PNG, JPEG or WebP image at any resolution.
PDF Metadata Viewer & Editor
See what a PDF says about itself — title, author, the software that made it — then edit or strip it.
Compress Image to a Target Size
Compress a photo to a specific file size — 100 KB, 200 KB, 2 MB — and let the quality be worked out for you.