PDF Compressor
A PDF compressor reduces the file size of a PDF so it fits email and upload limits. This tool re-renders the pages as optimized images, tries several settings, and only offers a download if the result is smaller than your original.
Compress a PDF
PDF Compressor
Compress PDF files online for free without uploading them to a server.
How to compress a PDF
- Choose a PDF file (up to 50 MB).
- Pick a level: Balanced (recommended), Strong or Maximum.
- Select Compress PDF and wait while the pages are processed.
- Compare the sizes and download the compressed copy.
How it works, and the trade-off
Each page is rendered to an image and saved again as JPEG at the quality level you chose, then rebuilt into a new PDF. This works best for scanned documents and image-heavy PDFs.
Because pages become images, the compressed PDF loses selectable text, links and form fields. Keep the original if you need to copy text, fill in fields or keep a searchable document. Text-only PDFs are often already small; when the tool can’t beat the original size, it keeps your original rather than making it bigger.
Tips
- Start with Balanced. Move to Strong or Maximum only if you still need a smaller file, and check readability.
- For a PDF made from photos, resizing the photos before building the PDF often saves more. See the image to PDF converter.
- Password-protected PDFs must be unlocked in your PDF reader first.
Compression runs in your browser; the PDF is not uploaded to a LIVETOOLSLAB server.
When the compressor helps most
| PDF type | Typical result |
|---|---|
| Scanned pages or phone photos | Often a large reduction |
| Brochures with big images | Good reduction; check fine print |
| Text-only documents from Word | Usually already small; original kept |
Frequently asked questions
No. Pages are converted to images, so text is no longer selectable or searchable. Keep the original for that.
Text-based PDFs are often already efficient. The tool keeps the original rather than giving you a larger file.
The file is processed in your browser and not uploaded to our server. Follow your organisation’s rules for sensitive documents.