Compress PDF Without Uploading
Your PDF never leaves your device. It is compressed in your browser. Free, with no signup.
Drop a PDF file here
or click to browse — one file at a time
Enter the password to continue.
100% Private
Files are compressed locally in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
Fast
No waiting on uploads. Compression runs right on your device.
Free & Unlimited
No account, no watermark, no file limits.
How to compress a PDF
Three quick steps. Nothing to install and nothing leaves your device.
Add your PDF
Drag a PDF onto the box above or click it to browse. The tool shows the file size and page count. If the file has a password, you will be asked for it.
Pick a mode
Use "Keep text & quality" for a safe, lossless clean-up, or "Maximum compression" for scans and image-heavy files, with a quality slider from 30% to 95%.
Compress and download
Press Compress PDF, watch the progress, compare the original and new sizes, then download your smaller PDF.
Compress a PDF on your own device
Contracts, ID scans and financial papers should not travel to a server. This tool compresses them on your own device.
- Your file stays with you: it is read and compressed in the browser, and nothing is sent anywhere.
- Only the tool is downloaded: the PDF engine is loaded from a content delivery network the first time you use the page. That is the code of the tool, not your file.
- Not an offline tool: the page needs an internet connection to load the engine.
- Your original is untouched: you download a new file, named like your original with -compressed added.
More compress PDF options
Why compress a PDF?
PDFs are easy to share until they are too big. Email services often reject large attachments, and job, school and government upload forms commonly set a size limit. Scans and photo-heavy documents are the usual culprits, because each page can hold a large image.
This tool shrinks your PDF on your own device, so contracts, ID scans and financial papers are never uploaded to a server.
The two modes
- Keep text & quality. A lossless clean-up. The file is rebuilt with a tighter internal structure, and pages look exactly the same. Text stays selectable and searchable. Savings are smaller, and files that are already optimized may not shrink at all.
- Maximum compression. Each page is redrawn as a JPEG image and put into a new PDF with the same page size. Savings can be large, especially for scans and photos, but text can no longer be selected or searched.
How Maximum compression works
- You control the quality. The slider runs from 30% to 95%. Lower means a smaller file and softer images. 60% to 75% is a good balance for most documents.
- Resolution follows the slider. At 80% and above, pages are drawn at a higher resolution. Below that they are drawn at a lower one, which also helps the file get smaller.
- A safety check is built in. If Maximum compression makes the file bigger than the original, the tool tries the lossless method and uses it if that result is smaller.
- You see the saving. The result shows the original size, the new size and the percentage saved. If no saving is possible, you are told the file is already well optimized, and nothing is offered for download.
Password-protected and restricted PDFs
- Passwords. If a PDF needs a password to open, the tool asks for it. The password is used only in your browser.
- Protected files use Maximum compression. The compressed copy is not password-protected.
- Restricted files switch automatically. If a file has editing or printing restrictions that stop the lossless method, the tool switches to Maximum compression, and the original restrictions are not carried over.
Tips for better results
- Try Keep text & quality first. It changes nothing visible. If the file is still too big, switch to Maximum compression and lower the slider step by step.
- Need an exact limit? Use 100KB, 200KB, 500KB, 1MB or 3MB.
- Only some pages matter? Cut them out with Split PDF and compress just those.
- Many small files? Combine them first with Merge PDF, then compress the result.
- Photos going into the PDF? Shrink them first with Image Compressor & Resizer, then build the PDF with JPG to PDF.
- Large files take time. Maximum compression processes one page at a time. The progress bar shows the elapsed time and an estimate, and you can press Cancel at any point.
Need an exact size?
Compress your PDF to a specific limit: 100KB, 200KB, 500KB, 1MB.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about compressing PDFs with ConvertKit Lite.
Is it safe to compress my PDF here?
Yes. Compression runs in your browser, so your file is not uploaded to a server.
Which mode should I choose?
"Keep text & quality" cleans up the file structure without changing how it looks. "Maximum compression" turns each page into an image, which is best for scanned or photo-heavy PDFs.
Will the text still be selectable?
In "Keep text & quality" mode, yes. In "Maximum compression" mode, pages become images, so text can no longer be selected or searched.
Why didn't my PDF get much smaller?
Some PDFs are already well optimized. Try "Maximum compression" and lower the quality slider. Text-only PDFs are usually small already, so they may not shrink much.
Is there a file size limit?
There is no limit on our side. Very large files depend on your device's memory, so they may take longer.
Does Keep text & quality change how my PDF looks?
No. It rewrites the file structure only, so pages look identical and text stays selectable. That is also why savings are smaller.
What does the quality slider do?
It sets the JPEG quality of the page images in Maximum compression mode, from 30% to 95%. It does not apply to Keep text & quality mode.
What does "Already well optimized" mean?
The tool could not find a way to make the file smaller. No download is offered, because the result would not be smaller than your original. Try the other mode or a lower quality.
Can I cancel while it is working?
Yes. During compression a Cancel button appears next to the progress bar. Your original file is never changed.
Is the page size kept?
Yes. In Maximum compression each new page has the same dimensions as the original page, and the page order stays the same.
Why does it need an internet connection?
The PDF engine is loaded from a content delivery network the first time you use the page, and it starts loading as soon as you point at the upload box. Your file itself is never sent anywhere.
Can I compress more than one PDF?
One file at a time. Press Start Over to load the next one.
What is the compressed file called?
Your file name with -compressed added, for example report-compressed.pdf.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes, in a modern browser. Very large scans use a lot of memory in Maximum compression, so a computer is safer for those.
Is my PDF uploaded when I compress it?
No. Your file is read and compressed in your browser and is never sent to a server. Only the code of the tool is loaded from the internet.
Does this work offline?
Not fully. The page needs an internet connection the first time to load the PDF engine. Your file itself is never sent anywhere.