Compress PDF

Shrinks a PDF's file size, either while keeping text selectable or by rasterizing pages for maximum reduction.

No upload — runs on your device
Free, no sign-up
No watermark

What Compress PDF does

Shrinks a PDF's file size, either while keeping text selectable or by rasterizing pages for maximum reduction. Large PDF files can be slow to email, upload, or store — especially ones containing scanned pages or embedded images. Compression can be tuned for either priority: Balanced mode keeps text selectable and searchable while trimming size, and Aggressive mode rasterizes pages for the smallest possible file when maximum size reduction matters more than text selectability.

Works well with: Merge PDF · PDF to JPG · PDF to Word

Runs 100% in your browser

PDFHook processes this file using JavaScript on your own device. It's never uploaded, stored, or seen by anyone else — and it works even if your connection drops mid-way.

HOW TO USE IT

Compress PDF in 3 steps

Upload your PDF

Larger, image-heavy PDFs benefit the most.

Choose a mode

Balanced keeps text selectable; Aggressive rasterizes pages for maximum savings.

Download and compare

See exactly how much smaller the result is.

Key features

Balanced mode keeps text selectable
Aggressive mode gives the smallest file
See exactly how much space you saved
Two distinct compression strategies for different priorities
Shows the exact size reduction achieved

Practical use cases

Someone needs to email a PDF that's too large for their provider's attachment size limit.
A website owner wants to reduce a downloadable PDF's size to speed up page load.
A user needs to fit a scanned document under a strict upload size limit on a form.

Related terminology

Rasterization: Converting a page's content into a fixed image rather than selectable text and vector graphics — used by Aggressive compression mode for maximum size reduction, at the cost of text selectability.

Frequently asked questions

Which mode should I use?

Balanced mode is best when you need the text to stay searchable and selectable. Aggressive mode gives a much smaller file but turns each page into an image.

Why didn't Balanced mode save much space?

PDFs that are already efficiently structured, or made mostly of text, often don't have much redundant data to remove — try Aggressive mode for a bigger reduction.

Can I see how much space was saved before downloading?

Yes — the tool shows the size reduction achieved once compression is complete.

Can I compress a PDF to a smaller size for email?

Yes — choose Aggressive mode to compress PDF to smaller size when a strict email attachment limit is the priority over keeping text selectable.

Is there a free way to reduce PDF size significantly?

Yes — this pdf compressor free works to reduce PDF size and shrink PDF file weight, with Aggressive mode used specifically to make PDF smaller when size matters most.