Why does this compress less than other online tools?

Aggressive compression requires recompressing embedded images at lower quality — that's server-side territory. We run entirely in your browser, so we can strip metadata and pack objects but not rasterise images. The trade-off is privacy: your PDF never leaves your device.

What savings should I expect?

5–30% for most PDFs. Text-heavy documents (contracts, articles, reports) see smaller savings because text compresses efficiently already. PDFs with lots of embedded metadata, duplicate fonts, or unoptimised object tables can drop 30% or more.

No. The tool uses pdf-lib entirely in your browser. Your file never touches our servers — crucial for legal, medical, or financial documents.

Does this affect print quality?

No. We don't touch image resolution or text fidelity. The PDF looks identical after compression; it just ships in fewer bytes.

What if I need more compression?

Try exporting from the source application (Word, Pages, InDesign) with lower image quality, or reach for a server-side tool if you're comfortable uploading the file. For scanned documents, re-scanning at lower DPI is often the cleanest fix.

What's 'object streams'?

A PDF 1.5 feature that packs multiple objects into compressed streams. All modern viewers (Adobe Reader 6+, browsers' built-in viewers, Preview) handle it fine. Disable only if you need compatibility with very old PDF readers.

PDF Compressor

Shrink PDF file size without leaving the browser.

Compression runs in your browser. Never uploaded — safe for confidential PDFs.

Drop an image or click to upload

Drop a PDF to compress. Works best on PDFs with lots of embedded images or metadata.

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What is a PDF Compressor?

A PDF compressor reduces a PDF's file size without (ideally) degrading how it looks when opened. Compression matters because PDFs attached to email hit inbox size limits (25 MB for Gmail, smaller for enterprise), upload caps on job application portals and legal filing systems, and storage quotas in Google Drive, Dropbox, and iCloud. A smaller PDF is also a faster PDF — lighter documents open and scroll more responsively on slow hardware.

Honest positioning. Our compressor runs entirely in your browser. That privacy guarantee is the whole point — we never see your file. The trade-off is that browser-side compression is gentler than server-side tools like Ghostscript, which can rasterise every embedded image and re-encode at lower quality. If your PDF is mostly scanned images, Ghostscript can get you 50–80% savings; our tool typically delivers 5–30%. For most text-heavy PDFs (contracts, reports, articles), the browser approach gets you most of the way.

What we strip. Metadata — title, author, subject, keywords, producer, and creator fields. Most PDFs carry a few kilobytes of these, and they're rarely needed (or, for sensitive documents, desired — author fields can leak organisational data). Toggle the option off if you need the metadata preserved.

What we pack. Object streams (PDF 1.5 feature) combine multiple PDF objects into compressed streams. Modern viewers (Adobe Reader 6+, every browser's built-in viewer, Apple Preview) support this everywhere. Some very old mobile PDF readers (pre-2010) can struggle — disable the option if you need that compatibility.

What we preserve. Every visual element. Text with fonts. Images at original resolution. Vector graphics. Hyperlinks. Page structure and form fields (provided they don't rely on runtime JavaScript). Page count. Page dimensions.

Privacy first. Many "free" online PDF compressors upload your file to a remote server, process it, and return the result. That's a privacy problem for confidential documents — the service sees everything. Our compressor uses pdf-lib to rewrite the document locally; the file never leaves your browser.

When you need more. If our compression isn't enough, try one of these workflows before reaching for a server-side tool: (1) split a multi-page document into smaller files with our PDF Splitter; (2) export from the source app (Word, Pages, InDesign) with a smaller image quality setting; (3) use the original source to produce a lower-DPI PDF.

How to compress a PDF

Drop a PDF onto the upload zone.
Choose options — strip metadata and use object streams (defaults are safe).
Click Compress. The tool rewrites the PDF locally.
Compare the size delta in the result panel.
Download the compressed PDF.

Features

Metadata stripping (title/author/etc.) toggle.
Object-stream packing for modern PDF viewers.
Size-saved comparison before download.
Preserves visual content, fonts, links, and page structure.
100% browser-based — PDFs never upload.

Frequently asked questions

Why does this compress less than other online tools?: Aggressive compression requires recompressing embedded images at lower quality — that's server-side territory. We run entirely in your browser, so we can strip metadata and pack objects but not rasterise images. The trade-off is privacy: your PDF never leaves your device.
What savings should I expect?: 5–30% for most PDFs. Text-heavy documents (contracts, articles, reports) see smaller savings because text compresses efficiently already. PDFs with lots of embedded metadata, duplicate fonts, or unoptimised object tables can drop 30% or more.
Is my PDF uploaded?: No. The tool uses pdf-lib entirely in your browser. Your file never touches our servers — crucial for legal, medical, or financial documents.
Does this affect print quality?: No. We don't touch image resolution or text fidelity. The PDF looks identical after compression; it just ships in fewer bytes.
What if I need more compression?: Try exporting from the source application (Word, Pages, InDesign) with lower image quality, or reach for a server-side tool if you're comfortable uploading the file. For scanned documents, re-scanning at lower DPI is often the cleanest fix.
What's 'object streams'?: A PDF 1.5 feature that packs multiple objects into compressed streams. All modern viewers (Adobe Reader 6+, browsers' built-in viewers, Preview) handle it fine. Disable only if you need compatibility with very old PDF readers.