Compress PDF
Make PDF files smaller with two honest options: a lossless light mode that keeps text, and a strong mode that trades selectable text for much smaller files.
Light mode: lossless
Light mode loads the PDF and saves it again with compressed object streams. Nothing visible changes: pages, fonts, images and text stay exactly as they were, and text remains selectable and searchable. The price of this safety is modest savings. Files exported by office programs often shrink by a few percent, while files that are already optimized may not shrink at all.
When the result is not smaller than your file, the tool says so and offers your original instead of a larger copy.
Strong mode: pages become images
Strong mode renders each page on a canvas and rebuilds the PDF from JPEG pictures. Scanned documents and photo-heavy files can shrink dramatically, because the large embedded images are re-encoded at the resolution and quality you choose.
This has a real cost. Text becomes part of the picture, so it can no longer be selected, copied or searched, screen readers cannot read it, and links and form fields are lost. Use strong mode for documents that are only viewed or printed, and keep the original.
Choosing resolution and quality
72 DPI gives the smallest files and suits reading on a screen. 110 DPI is a balanced default. 150 DPI is better for printing small text. A JPEG quality around 60 is a sensible start; lower values add visible blur and blocks, higher values grow the file.
Good to know
Files are processed one after another so your browser stays responsive, and anything above 100 MB is skipped. Password-protected or damaged PDFs are reported with a clear message.
Frequently asked questions
Which mode should I use first?
Try light mode. If the file is still too large and you do not need selectable text, use strong mode.
Why did strong mode make my file bigger?
Documents that are mostly text can be larger as pictures. In that case the tool keeps your original and tells you.
Can I get the text back after strong compression?
Not from the compressed file, since it only contains pictures. Always keep the original.
Does compression change the page size?
No. Both modes keep the original page dimensions. Strong mode only changes how the page content is stored, as a picture at the resolution you choose.