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FreeToolsDaily

Compress PDF

Shrink a PDF so it fits email limits and upload forms, with an honest view of the trade-offs.

Free No sign-up Files stay on your device

How it works

How to use the Compress PDF tool

  1. 1

    Upload your PDF

    Select the file you want to make smaller.

  2. 2

    Pick a compression level

    Basic keeps everything identical. Recommended and Maximum shrink scanned and image-heavy PDFs much further.

  3. 3

    Compare and download

    See the before and after sizes, then download your compressed PDF.

Which level should I use?

Basic rewrites the file's internal structure, removing unused objects, old revisions and uncompressed metadata. It never changes how a page looks, and text stays selectable. It helps most with PDFs that have been edited many times.

Recommended and Maximum re-render every page as a compressed image at 150 or 100 DPI. This is very effective for scanned documents and photo-heavy PDFs, often cutting the size by 70–90%, but text can no longer be selected or searched and links stop working. Use them when the PDF is mostly for viewing or printing.

Why some PDFs don't get smaller

A PDF that's already well optimized, for example one exported from Word with compressed images, may have nothing left to remove. FreeToolsDaily always compares the result with your original and tells you if it isn't smaller, instead of handing you a bigger file.

Limitations

We’d rather be upfront about what this tool can’t do yet:

  • Recommended and Maximum turn pages into images, so text selection, search, links and form fields are lost.
  • Basic compression can't shrink images inside the PDF; its savings depend on how the file was made.
  • Password-protected PDFs must be unlocked first.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Are my PDF files uploaded to a server?

No. FreeToolsDaily processes PDFs with JavaScript running inside your browser, so the file never leaves your device. You can even disconnect from the internet after the page loads and the tool keeps working.

How can I compress a PDF to under 1 MB?

Try Recommended first. If it's still too big, use Maximum. For scanned documents this usually gets well under 1 MB. For long documents, splitting the PDF is another option.

Will my compressed PDF still be readable?

Yes. Recommended (150 DPI) looks sharp on screens and prints well. Maximum (100 DPI) is fine for reading but small text can look softer.

Is compressing a PDF safe for official documents?

Basic doesn't alter content at all. The image-based levels keep the visual appearance, but if a recipient needs searchable text or digital signatures, use Basic.

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