Free · No upload · No sign-up
Compress PDF files without uploading them
Make your PDF smaller right here in your browser. The file is processed on your own device, so it is never sent to a server, not even ours.
Processed on your device. Nothing is uploaded. How we know
Stays on your device
Compression runs in your browser with WebAssembly. Your PDF is never uploaded or stored.
Text stays sharp
Only oversized images are reduced. Text, fonts, links and form fields are kept exactly as they are.
Honest results
You see the exact size before you download. If a size limit can't be reached, we tell you.
Compress a PDF in three steps
Choose your PDF
Drop it on the page, or pick it from your phone or computer.
Pick a level or a size limit
Recommended suits most files. If an upload form has a limit, choose Target size and enter it.
Download the smaller file
Check the new size and download it. Nothing is kept anywhere.
Which setting should I use?
Images are reduced to the resolution they need at the size they appear on the page, so a small photo is never kept at poster resolution.
| Setting | Best for | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended | Sharing and uploading most documents | Images reduced to 150 dpi, JPEG quality 75. Diagrams and screenshots stay lossless. |
| Strong | Email attachments and messaging apps | Images reduced to 100 dpi, JPEG quality 60. Small print in scans may look softer. |
| Lossless | Documents where every detail matters | Images untouched. Only the file's internal structure is stored more compactly. |
| Target size | Forms with a strict file size limit | Finds the best quality that fits, measuring each attempt, and says so if the limit can't be met. |
Compress to a specific size
Pick the limit your upload form asks for. The compressor opens with that target already set.
Your PDF stays on your device
Most online compressors upload your file to their servers. This one doesn't. The compression engine is downloaded to your browser like the rest of the page, and your PDF is processed in memory on your own device.
When you close or refresh the tab, the file and the compressed copy are gone, unless you saved the download. The site is static: it has no server-side code that could receive or keep your PDF, and its security policy only lets the page connect back to this site.
Check it yourself
- Open your browser's developer tools and select the Network tab.
- Compress a PDF on this page.
- You will see the page's own files load, but no request that sends your PDF anywhere.
What compression can and can't do
- Scanned documents and PDFs with photos usually shrink the most.
- PDFs that are mostly text, such as exports from Word or Google Docs, are often compact already and may shrink only a little.
- Password-protected PDFs aren't supported yet. Remove the password first.
- Compressing a digitally signed PDF makes the signature invalid.
- Some image types (CMYK, JPEG 2000, black-and-white fax) are left unchanged for now.
- Very large files depend on your device's memory. Phones can handle smaller files than computers.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to compress confidential PDFs here?
Your PDF is processed entirely in your browser and is never uploaded, so it isn't exposed to our servers or anyone else's. As with any file, use a device you trust.
Is The PDF Compressor free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how many files you compress.
Will my PDF lose quality?
Lossless mode changes nothing visible. Recommended and Strong reduce image resolution to what the page needs, which is rarely noticeable on screen. Text and vector graphics are never turned into pictures, so they stay sharp at any zoom.
How do I compress a PDF to 100 KB or 200 KB?
Choose Target size and enter the limit, or open one of the size pages on this site. We count 1 KB as 1,000 bytes, so the result also passes forms that count 1,024 bytes per KB.
Why couldn't my PDF reach the size I asked for?
Usually one of two reasons. Text, fonts and drawings take space that image compression can't remove, so if they alone are larger than your limit, compressing images won't help. Or there are many scanned pages, and even at the lowest image quality the tool allows they don't fit. Either way, the tool shows the smallest size it could reach and says which reason applies, instead of pretending.
Does it work on mobile phones?
It is built to. It uses standard features of current browsers and is tested on phone-sized screens with the engines behind Chrome, Safari and Firefox. Very large files may need a computer, because phones have less memory.
Can I compress password-protected PDFs?
Not yet. Remove the password in your PDF app first, then compress the copy.