01
Scanned contract
Compressing an 18 MB scanned PDF at Balanced quality shrinks it to about 6.4 MB, roughly 64% smaller.
Compress PDF
PDF ToolsCompress PDF files online to reduce file size while keeping good quality — free PDF compressor.
PDF file
About
About the Compress PDF
Shrinks a PDF's file size by recompressing and downscaling the images inside it at a level you choose, right in your browser — your file is never uploaded.
Anyone emailing a large PDF uses it to get a scanned document under an attachment size limit, while businesses uploading documents to a portal use it to shrink files that are otherwise rejected as too large. It's one of many free PDF tools on Toolapt, and like every tool here, it's free to use with no sign-up and no limit on how many times you run it.
Examples
Compress PDF examples
3 worked examples
02
Photo-heavy report
Compressing a 42 MB PDF at Smaller file quality shrinks it to about 11 MB, roughly 74% smaller.
03
Mostly-text PDF
Compressing a 2.1 MB text-only PDF at Higher quality barely changes it, shrinking to about 1.9 MB since there are few embedded images to recompress.
Related tools
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to common questions about the Compress PDF.
What does Compress PDF do?
It shrinks a PDF's file size by recompressing the images inside it, at a quality level you choose.
Is Compress PDF free to use?
Yes. It's free, with no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how many files you compress.
Is my file safe when I use this tool?
Yes. The compression runs entirely in your browser, so the PDF never leaves your device — nothing is uploaded, stored or seen by anyone.
Will the text in my PDF still be selectable?
Yes, with Smaller file, Balanced and Higher quality — only the images are recompressed. The Maximum level turns each page into an image, so text is no longer selectable or searchable.
Which compression level should I choose?
"Smaller file" gives a big size reduction with more visible compression; "Balanced" is a good everyday default; "Higher quality" keeps images sharper at a smaller saving; "Maximum" is for scanned documents that need to shrink as much as possible.
Will compression always make the file noticeably smaller?
Not always. A PDF that's already mostly text, or whose images are already compressed, may not shrink — the tool tells you when that happens instead of giving you a file that isn't smaller.
How long does compression take?
It depends on the file size and number of images, but most PDFs finish in well under a minute.
Does Compress PDF have any limitations?
It reduces size mainly by recompressing images, so a text-only PDF won't shrink much; for a password-protected PDF, unlock it first with the Unlock PDF tool.