Text and vector graphics stay sharp. Photos and scans may be lightly downsampled—start with Best quality (recommended). Keep an original copy if you need print-perfect images.

Is this like desktop Ghostscript or Acrobat?

Yes—the same pdfwrite-style presets run locally via Ghostscript WASM. Your file never leaves the device for this tool.

Why didn’t my file get smaller?

Text-only or already-optimized PDFs often have little left to remove. We keep the smaller of the original and compressed output so size never grows.

Which compression level should I choose?

Start with Best quality. Choose Balanced when you need more savings and the PDF contains ordinary photos or scans. Choose Smallest file only when a strict limit matters most, then inspect the preview before you send the result.

Is the PDF uploaded while it is compressed?

No. The Ghostscript WebAssembly engine runs in your browser for this tool. Processing a large file may use device memory and take longer on a phone, but the PDF is not sent to an All PDF Needs processing server.

How can I make a PDF even smaller?

Remove blank or unneeded pages with Delete Pages, use Extract Pages when you only need a section, and merge only the documents the recipient needs. Then compress the final PDF.

Should I keep the original PDF?

Yes. Keep the original until you have checked the compressed file. Compression changes image data, so an original is the safest source if you later need print-quality pages.

Files processed locally in your browser.

Compress PDF

Shrink PDFs while keeping text sharp—optimizes embedded images in your browser.

1Upload
2Configure
3Process
4Download

Drop a PDF to compress

or click to browse · files over 20 MB may be slow on phones

People also use

Related workflows

How to Compress a PDF for Email Without Losing Quality
Practical tips to shrink PDF attachments while keeping text and important images readable.

What this tool does

Compress PDF reduces a document’s file size so it is easier to email, upload, or store. The biggest savings usually come from scan-heavy PDFs, camera photos, and documents with large embedded images. This tool uses a Ghostscript engine compiled to WebAssembly in your browser to optimize image data and PDF structure while preserving vector text and fonts where possible. That means selectable text, lines, and simple graphics normally stay sharp; photos and scans may be downsampled depending on the level you choose. Start with Best quality, then try Balanced or Smallest file only if you still need a smaller attachment. Compression is not magic: text-only PDFs and files that were already optimized may barely change. The tool keeps the original when compression would make the result larger, and it provides a first-page preview so you can check image quality before downloading.

How to use it

Upload the PDF you want to make smaller. Keep the original file until you have checked the result.
Choose Best quality for the least aggressive optimization, Balanced for a middle ground, or Smallest file when a strict upload limit matters more than image detail.
Click Compress and leave the tab open while the browser processes the document locally. Large image-heavy files can take longer, especially on a phone.
Review the original and result sizes shown after processing. If the original was already optimized, the tool keeps that size instead of returning a larger file.
Use the compressed page-one preview to look for blurry text in screenshots, soft photos, or detail that matters to the recipient.
Download the PDF when the preview and file size meet your needs. If it is still too large, remove unneeded pages or extract only the pages you must send before trying again.

Common use cases

Shrink a scan-heavy PDF for email without rasterizing all of its selectable text
Meet an upload limit for a job portal, vendor system, or school application
Lighten archived meeting packets, reports, and slide exports for storage or sharing
Make a photo-based invoice or receipt packet practical to attach to an email
Reduce a merged PDF after you combine several documents into one attachment

FAQs

Will quality drop?: Text and vector graphics stay sharp. Photos and scans may be lightly downsampled—start with Best quality (recommended). Keep an original copy if you need print-perfect images.
Is this like desktop Ghostscript or Acrobat?: Yes—the same pdfwrite-style presets run locally via Ghostscript WASM. Your file never leaves the device for this tool.
Why didn’t my file get smaller?: Text-only or already-optimized PDFs often have little left to remove. We keep the smaller of the original and compressed output so size never grows.
Which compression level should I choose?: Start with Best quality. Choose Balanced when you need more savings and the PDF contains ordinary photos or scans. Choose Smallest file only when a strict limit matters most, then inspect the preview before you send the result.
Is the PDF uploaded while it is compressed?: No. The Ghostscript WebAssembly engine runs in your browser for this tool. Processing a large file may use device memory and take longer on a phone, but the PDF is not sent to an All PDF Needs processing server.
How can I make a PDF even smaller?: Remove blank or unneeded pages with Delete Pages, use Extract Pages when you only need a section, and merge only the documents the recipient needs. Then compress the final PDF.
Should I keep the original PDF?: Yes. Keep the original until you have checked the compressed file. Compression changes image data, so an original is the safest source if you later need print-quality pages.