Compress PDF
How to compress a PDF
Compress PDF makes a PDF small enough for email, a chat app or an upload form, in your browser, so your file does not leave your device.
- Add files
Drop one or more PDF files, or click to choose them. Each file is compressed at once.
- Pick a level
Medium suits most uses. Light keeps pictures sharper; Strong makes the smallest file. A new level compresses the files again.
- Download
Press Download PDF. Several files come as one ZIP.
Frequently asked questions
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Are my PDFs uploaded?
No. The files are compressed in your browser, on your own device, and are not sent anywhere. The page only loads its PDF reader from Yangopen.
Does compressing blur the text?
No. Text, fonts and drawings (tables, lines, vector logos) are kept as they are, so they stay sharp, selectable and searchable. Only the pictures in the file are saved smaller: at the size each is shown on its page, at most 150 pixels per inch at Medium (200 at Light, 100 at Strong). After compressing, the tool reads the text of the pages again and compares it with the original; if anything differs, the original is kept.
Why does one file shrink a lot and another hardly at all?
A file that is heavy because of pictures (a scan, phone photos, a design from Canva) usually gets much smaller. A file that is mostly text, such as a document saved from Word, is already compact: its weight is its fonts, which cannot be made much smaller. When the compressed copy is not smaller, the tool keeps the original and says so on the card.
What about a PDF with a digital signature?
Any change to the file, compressing included, makes a digital signature invalid. The tool tells you when a file is signed. For a signed e-invoice or contract, send the original.
Do the colours change?
Ordinary colour pictures keep their colours. Pictures in print colours (CMYK, common in print files from Canva or Illustrator) are changed to screen colours (RGB), so a print can look slightly different. For a print shop, send the original.
Is there a limit?
It is free, with no account. Up to 50 files at a time, each up to 300 MB. A file locked with a password has to be unlocked first: open it in a PDF reader, print it to PDF, then add the new file.