How to Compress a PDF (and What to Expect)
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A PDF is usually large for one reason: images. Scans and photos take far more space than text. How much you can shrink a file depends almost entirely on what is inside it.
Steps
- Add your PDF to the PDF Compress tool.
- Choose Light to keep text selectable, or Maximum to turn pages into compressed images.
- Compare the sizes shown after processing.
- Keep your original if the result is not smaller or looks worse.
Light versus maximum
Light mode re-saves the file with a more compact internal structure. It is safe for any document but often saves little, especially if the PDF was already optimised.
Maximum mode redraws each page as a JPEG. This can cut scanned documents dramatically, but text is no longer selectable or searchable and quality drops as you lower the setting.
Other ways to get a smaller PDF
Shrink the source before exporting: resize large photos, and scan at a lower resolution if you do not need print quality.
If the file is only too big to email, splitting it into parts with PDF Split can be simpler than compressing it.
Common questions
Why did my file not get smaller?
Text-only PDFs and files already compressed by their creator have little left to remove. Try Maximum mode if the pages are scans.
Will Maximum mode hurt quality?
Yes, to a degree. Check the result before sending it, and keep the original.