Free PDF Compressor

This tries to slim your document down by re-encoding embedded images and dropping needless metadata. Browser-side PDF compression has genuine limits, so rather than overpromise, it shows the original and result sizes side by side and tells you when a file is already about as small as it'll get.

100% free
Private & safe
Runs in your browser

Your files are processed securely in your browser and are not uploaded to our servers.

This tool runs entirely in your browser and needs JavaScript enabled to work. The full guide, examples and FAQ below are available without it.

Drag & drop files here

One PDF file

Choose a file

About browser-side PDF compression

This tool rewrites the document structure and removes metadata locally. It does not recompress embedded images, so text-heavy or already-optimized PDFs may not get smaller. Results and speed depend on the file and your device.

Read our complete guide: How to Merge PDF Files Online Without Uploading Confidential Data

Why use Compress PDF?

Compress PDF works on your documents locally, so you get the result in seconds with no watermarks, no sign-up and no files leaving your device.

100% private: files are processed in your browser and never uploaded.
Completely free, with no account, no watermarks and no usage limits.
PDF (.pdf)
Add a PDF and pick a quality preset: low, balanced or high.
Works on any device — desktop, tablet and phone — and is fully keyboard accessible.

How to use Compress PDF

Add a PDF and pick a quality preset: low, balanced or high.
The tool re-encodes raster images it can safely process and removes non-essential metadata.
It reports the original size, the result size and the percentage change.
If the file cannot be made smaller, it tells you the document is likely already optimized rather than pretending otherwise.

Examples

Reducing an image-heavy brochure so it fits an email attachment limit.
Trimming metadata and re-encoding scans in a large report.

Supported formats & limits

PDF (.pdf)

Limitations

Browser-side compression is limited: text-only PDFs and already-optimized files may not shrink at all.
Removing metadata alone is not major compression and is described as such.
Aggressive image recompression can reduce visual quality; text readability is preserved.
Very large PDFs depend on device memory and may take time.

Frequently asked questions

Will every PDF get smaller?

No. If a PDF is mostly text or already optimized, there may be little or nothing to remove, and we say so clearly.

Does this reduce quality?

Lower presets recompress images more aggressively, which can soften pictures. Text stays readable.

Why didn't my PDF get smaller?

If it is mostly text or already optimized there may be little to remove; the tool tells you honestly when that happens.

Was this tool helpful?

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