
Compress PDF — Reduce PDF File Size Free Online
Compress a PDF with an adjustable quality preset and compare the output file size.
Drop a PDF here — get a smaller file that fits your upload limit
What you can do with Compress PDF
Review the main capabilities before you begin.
- Shrink PDF file size for email attachments
- Compress a PDF to fit form upload limits
- Pick a quality preset to balance size and clarity
- Make a heavy scanned PDF lighter to share
- Reduce document size without splitting pages
Settings reference
2 settings
Available controls for Compress PDF.
- Processing modePresets
- Process one input, or switch to Premium batch mode to process multiple inputs with shared settings. Available input types depend on the tool.Options: Single PDFBatch
Quality
- Compression levelPresets
- Picks how strongly embedded images are downsampled, from Screen (72 DPI, smallest file for on-screen viewing) through E-book (150 DPI) to Printer and Prepress (300 DPI) for print-quality output; the PDF recompresses automatically when changed.Options: Screen (smallest)E-bookPrinter (300 DPI)Prepress (largest)
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Try it nowFrequently Asked Questions
Often yes, but it depends on the content. Pick the Low preset (lowest DPI and JPEG quality) for the smallest result, and check the before/after size shown in the result panel. Scanned or image-heavy PDFs compress dramatically and usually drop under 100-200KB; text-heavy or multi-page PDFs may not, because each page is rendered to an image. There is no fixed byte-target slider, so reduce the page count or split the PDF first if you need to hit a strict government upload limit.
usageCompress, review and download a standard PDF without creating an account. Premium adds 50 MB uploads and batch work, while Pro raises uploads to 120 MB. Server-processed PDFs are removed under our Security policy.
pricingDrop a PDF, pick a compression level and click Compress PDF. Images inside the PDF are downsampled and re-encoded at the chosen profile, then assembled into a new file. Compare the resulting size and quality before downloading because savings vary by document.
usageScreen (72 DPI) is best for very large image-PDFs where size matters more than fine detail. E-book (150 DPI) suits text-heavy reports for screen reading. Printer (300 DPI) is the sweet spot for most workflows — print-friendly and email-friendly. Prepress (300 DPI, lighter compression) keeps high-resolution photography intact at the cost of file size.
featuresAt High and Best presets text remains crisp and easily readable. Low and Medium are designed for documents that are mostly images — text-heavy pages compressed at Low may show some softening but stay legible. If text quality is paramount, choose the Best preset or skip compression for that file.
qualityIt usually isn't — compression here works by rasterising each page to JPEG, which means text becomes a picture of text. If you need both small size and selectable text, run a smaller, OCR-aware compression in a desktop tool, or skip this step entirely and compress only the images inside the PDF.
technicalHighly variable: image-heavy PDFs (scanned documents, magazines, brochures) often shrink 80-95% at the High preset. Text-only PDFs may not shrink at all (or may grow slightly) because the source already used efficient text encoding. The before/after size comparison in the result panel tells you exactly.
qualityYour PDF is uploaded over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection, compressed on our secure server, and removed under our Security policy — we do not sell the file or share it with third parties. If your policy requires a file that never leaves your device, use a desktop PDF tool locally instead.
privacyNot in a single batch from this screen — currently one PDF at a time so you can verify quality per file. For bulk compression, run each through the tool one after another; settings are remembered between runs.
featuresYes — compress, preview and download the clean standard PDF without creating an account. Premium remains available for larger files, batch work and higher capabilities.
pricingDrop your PDF onto the page, choose one of the four compression levels, then click Compress PDF. The result panel previews the saving and lets you download the clean standard file without creating an account; there is nothing to install.
usageThis tool shrinks a PDF by tidying its internal structure, so PDFs whose bulk is large embedded photos see only a modest reduction. The fix is to compress the images first: run them through our Compress Image tool, then rebuild or re-export the PDF so the lighter pictures go in from the start.
tipsThese are standard print compression profiles: Screen downsamples images to 72 DPI for the smallest file and on-screen viewing, E-book uses 150 DPI, Printer uses 300 DPI for documents you plan to print, and Prepress uses 300 DPI with lighter compression for higher image fidelity.
technicalNo. The tool always runs a structural cleanup pass alongside the image re-encoding, compares both results, and returns whichever is smaller — it never hands you back a file larger than your original, even if the source PDF was already lightly compressed.
technicalFor emailing a scanned document, use Screen or E-book — 72-150 DPI is plenty for the recipient to read on-screen and keeps the attachment small enough for most inbox size limits. For a file heading to a print shop or press, use Printer or Prepress so photos and fine text stay sharp at real-world print resolution.
tipsYour PDF is uploaded to our servers, where each page is re-rendered and re-encoded at your chosen preset (Screen, E-book, Printer or Prepress) before the smaller file is sent back to you — compression does not happen locally in your browser. The uploaded original and the processed file are both auto-deleted from the server after processing, so nothing is retained beyond what's needed to produce your download.
privacyYes — Pixoate supports batch and bulk processing. Switch to Batch mode, add up to 60 PDFs on Premium or 200 on Pro, set your options once, and every PDF is processed with the same settings before you download a single ZIP. Bulk processing is a Premium feature; the output uses the same quality and settings as single mode.
featuresYes — with bulk processing you configure the settings a single time and they apply to every item in the batch — up to 60 PDFs on Premium or 200 on Pro. There is no need to repeat the setup per item, and Temporary uploaded and generated files are processed securely and deleted automatically.
usageAlmost always one of three things. The file is over the 11 MB free upload limit — Premium takes 50 MB and Pro 120 MB. The format is not one this tool accepts, so check the list shown on the upload panel. Or the file is not really the format its name says: renaming a file does not change what is inside it, and that is the reason a valid-looking PDF gets refused.
troubleshootingPage content is preserved, but anything that depended on the original file being interactive can behave differently — form fields, layers and annotations may be flattened into the page depending on the operation you ran. If you need the fields to stay fillable, do the flattening step last. Keep the untouched original until you have checked the output end to end.
troubleshootingNo. You can run Compress PDF and download the free result without an account, and it carries no watermark. Premium is what you buy when the limits start to bite: up to 60 files in one batch, larger uploads, no daily cap, and the original-resolution result. Nothing is revealed at the download step that was not visible before you started.
pricingNo — Compress PDF runs in the browser on desktop and phone. There is nothing to install, no trial to start, and no license to buy before you can see whether it does what you need. Try it on the file you are actually stuck with rather than a sample.
troubleshootingHow Compress PDF helps you get it done
Real problems it solves every day — for businesses, creators, and everyday tasks. Find the use case that fits you and start.
Email-Friendly Attachments
Email providers apply attachment limits that vary by service and account. Compress a scanned PDF, compare the result size and verify readability before sending.
Government Portal Uploads
IRS, immigration, court and licensing portals often impose tight upload size limits (5MB, 10MB). Compress to fit before the deadline-driven upload fails.
Mobile-Friendly Document Sharing
Reduce large PDFs for mobile recipients, then verify that text and images remain suitable for the presentation.
Archive Storage Efficiency
Long-term archives of thousands of PDFs add up to terabytes. Compress every PDF on ingestion to cut archival storage cost by 60-90%.
Faster Cloud Sync
Smaller PDFs sync faster across Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive and iCloud. Especially useful for team workflows that share documents constantly across devices.
Print-Ready Distribution
Compress oversized brochures and product catalogs before distributing for in-store print. Most print kiosks accept compressed PDFs and the quality remains print-acceptable at the Best preset.
Job Application Portals With Strict Upload Caps
When a job portal sets a PDF upload limit, use the Printer preset to reduce a scanned reference letter or portfolio, then review image clarity before submitting.
Real Estate Listing Brochures & MLS Uploads
Photo-heavy property brochures often exceed MLS or listing-portal size limits — compress at the Printer preset to keep photos presentable while emailing or uploading listings on a deadline.
Legal E-Filing Systems With Per-Document Limits
Court e-filing systems commonly cap each PDF exhibit at 10-25MB — compress scanned exhibits or discovery documents at the Screen or E-book preset to file on time without splitting the document.
Course & LMS Assignment Uploads
Canvas, Blackboard and Google Classroom impose per-file upload limits — students can compress a scanned handwritten assignment or an image-heavy design portfolio at the E-book preset before a submission deadline.
Self-Publishing Manuscript & eBook Uploads
KDP, IngramSpark and similar self-publishing platforms enforce PDF size limits for interior files — compress an illustration-heavy manuscript at the Prepress preset to keep artwork crisp while meeting the upload cap.
Email Attachment Size Limits for Business Correspondence
Gmail, Outlook and most corporate mail servers cap attachments around 20-25MB — compress an invoice batch, scanned contract or image-heavy report at the E-book or Printer preset so it clears the limit and doesn't bounce back to the sender.
Guides for this tool
- The Application Is Finished. The PDF Is Too Large to Submit.A finished application can still fail at a PDF upload limit. Explore Pixoate compression and page review to prepare a smaller, readable submission.
- Compress a PDF for an Application Upload LimitReduce a PDF for an application portal, compare quality presets and check every page. Learn what to do when a readable document still exceeds the upload limit.
Watch each transformation land
Every photo crosses the slash untouched and comes out the other side finished.


























