How much smaller will my file get?

It depends entirely on what is inside. Image-heavy documents and scans often drop by 60–90%. A PDF that is mostly text is already efficient, so expect a far smaller gain — sometimes only a few percent.

Will the text still be selectable?

On the Lossless level, yes — it rewrites the file structure and strips metadata without touching the page content, so text stays selectable and searchable. The Balanced and Strong levels re-render each page as an image, which is what makes them shrink so much, but the text stops being selectable. Pick Lossless if searchability matters more than size.

The file barely shrank. What now?

That usually means it was already well optimised, or you used the Lossless level on a text-only document. Try Balanced or Strong. If the document contains colour scans, running it through the Grayscale tool first often saves more than compression alone.

Is Compress PDF really free?

Yes — every tool on PDF Love is free, with no account, no email, no trial period, and no watermark stamped on your output. There is no file-count limit and no daily quota.

What happens to my files?

They never leave your device. This tool runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly, so your file is read from local memory, processed locally, and handed straight back. Nothing is uploaded, which is why it still works with your Wi-Fi switched off.

Is there a file size limit?

There is no limit imposed by us. Because the work happens on your own device, the practical ceiling is your available memory — comfortably a few hundred megabytes on a normal laptop or phone.

Does it work on a phone or tablet?

Yes. The site is built mobile-first and works in any modern browser on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux. There is nothing to install.

Compress PDF

Shrink large PDFs to get under an upload limit.

Choose PDF files

or drag and drop them here

Processed on your device · nothing is uploaded

Runs entirely in your browser
No upload wait
Free and unlimited

About Compress PDF

Most oversized PDFs are carrying photographs at far higher resolution than anyone will ever see. Compression downsamples those images and strips redundant data, usually cutting the file by more than half while keeping text perfectly sharp.

How to compress PDF

1
Drop your PDF files onto the box above, or click to browse for them.
2
Adjust the settings if the defaults are not what you need.
3
Press Compress PDF. The work happens on your device, so the time it takes depends on your machine rather than a queue.
4
Download the result. Nothing is stored, so grab it before you close the tab.

Questions about compress PDF

How much smaller will my file get?: It depends entirely on what is inside. Image-heavy documents and scans often drop by 60–90%. A PDF that is mostly text is already efficient, so expect a far smaller gain — sometimes only a few percent.
Will the text still be selectable?: On the Lossless level, yes — it rewrites the file structure and strips metadata without touching the page content, so text stays selectable and searchable. The Balanced and Strong levels re-render each page as an image, which is what makes them shrink so much, but the text stops being selectable. Pick Lossless if searchability matters more than size.
The file barely shrank. What now?: That usually means it was already well optimised, or you used the Lossless level on a text-only document. Try Balanced or Strong. If the document contains colour scans, running it through the Grayscale tool first often saves more than compression alone.
Is Compress PDF really free?: Yes — every tool on PDF Love is free, with no account, no email, no trial period, and no watermark stamped on your output. There is no file-count limit and no daily quota.
What happens to my files?: They never leave your device. This tool runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly, so your file is read from local memory, processed locally, and handed straight back. Nothing is uploaded, which is why it still works with your Wi-Fi switched off.
Is there a file size limit?: There is no limit imposed by us. Because the work happens on your own device, the practical ceiling is your available memory — comfortably a few hundred megabytes on a normal laptop or phone.
Does it work on a phone or tablet?: Yes. The site is built mobile-first and works in any modern browser on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux. There is nothing to install.

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