Optimize & repair
Compress PDF
Shrink a PDF at three honestly described levels, with the real size before and after. Everything runs in your browser: the file is never uploaded.
How to use this tool
- 1
Drop one or more PDFs.
- 2
Pick the level (“Balanced” suits almost every case) and adjust resolution and quality if needed.
- 3
Click “Compress” and read the before/after sizes.
- 4
Download the lighter PDF, or the ZIP archive for several files.
Help
- Three levels: “Light” cleanly rewrites the file and loses nothing; “Balanced” also lowers the resolution of embedded photos (150 ppi by default) and re-encodes them as JPEG; “Maximum” turns every page into an image.
- The result is measured, not estimated: you see the size before, after and the percentage saved. If the produced file was not smaller, you get the original back and the tool tells you so.
- At Light and Balanced, text stays real text (selectable, searchable). At Maximum it does not: a checkbox makes you confirm it.
- Several PDFs at once, collected in a ZIP archive. Password-protected PDFs must be unlocked first.
- Before offering the file, the tool reopens it with two different readers to make sure it is intact, and shows you its first page.
Related guide : How to compress a PDF without ruining it
Frequently asked questions
How much smaller will my PDF get?
It depends on the content. A PDF full of photos or scans can lose 60 to 90% at Balanced; a pure-text PDF has little weight to lose without being turned into images. The tool shows the real measured saving, never a promise.
Can my PDF end up bigger?
No. If the result was not smaller than the original, the tool hands the original back as is and says so. Images it cannot safely handle (transparency, masks, indexed or CMYK colours) are left untouched.
Are my documents uploaded to a server?
No. Compression runs in your browser; nothing is transmitted, stored or logged. That is also why size is capped at 80 MB per file.
Written and verified by the MaxyTools team · Updated on
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