Compress PDF
Reduce PDF file size. Light mode tidies the file without touching the content, and Strong mode shrinks heavy PDFs such as scanned documents a lot.
Settings
Strong mode rebuilds each page as an image. You will not be able to select or search text in the result.
Light mode keeps the content and quality as they are and only cleans up the file structure. The size may shrink a little or not at all.
How to use
When it helps
Job portals, school applications and grant forms often limit uploads to 10MB or 5MB. A PDF made from phone photos or scans can pass that limit with just a few pages.
Strong mode redraws each page as an image at the resolution you choose, then saves it as a JPG at lower quality inside a new PDF. Scans are images already, so they shrink a lot with little visible difference. 110dpi at 60% quality is enough for reading on screen, and 150dpi is better for documents that may be printed.
Light mode keeps text and graphics as they are and only removes redundant structure inside the file. Use it when searchable text matters. If the result is larger than the original, it is shown in yellow.
FAQ
How much smaller will it get?
Scanned or image-heavy PDFs usually shrink to 10 to 40% of the original in Strong mode. Text-only PDFs are already small and will not shrink much.
The text looks blurry after compressing.
Raise the resolution to 150dpi or increase the image quality, then press Compress again with these settings.
Why can I not copy text after Strong mode?
Strong mode turns each page into an image. If you need selectable text, use Light mode, or extract only the pages you need with PDF Split to cut the size.
How do I get under a specific size like 10MB?
Start with 110dpi at 60% quality. If it is still too big, try 72dpi or grayscale. Grayscale helps a lot for documents that do not need color.
Are my documents uploaded?
No. Compression happens inside your browser and your files are never sent anywhere.