Compress PDF
Drop a PDF, choose the strength, done. Your documents are not uploaded – important for contracts, bank statements and job applications.
or tap to choose. Several PDFs at once.
Choose filesEvery page is saved as an image. This shrinks almost any PDF a lot, but text can no longer be selected or searched afterwards.
Embed this tool for free
Paste this code where the tool should appear on your website. It contains your personal key.
Free, no sign-up. The tool runs in your visitors' browsers and their files are never uploaded. A small credit to enhancevision.de appears below the tool.
Step by step
- Drop one or more PDF files. The list shows a preview of the first page, the file size and the page count for each file.
- Choose the “Strength”: Light for the best quality, Medium as a balanced choice, Strong for the smallest file.
- Leave the “Method” on “Shrink images, keep text” to start with. For most documents it is the gentler option.
- Tap “Compress PDF”. A bar shows the progress; afterwards each row shows the old and new size along with the saving in percent.
- If a file is still too large, or the tool reports that it cannot be made smaller this way, run it again with a stronger setting or with “Whole pages as images”.
- Download each result on its own or, with several files, all together using “Download all as ZIP”.
What you can use it for
- Email attachments: Many mailboxes limit the size of a message. A compressed PDF reaches the recipient instead of bouncing back as undeliverable.
- Portals with a size limit: Authorities, insurers, universities and applicant portals often only accept files up to a certain size.
- Archiving scanned documents: Scans of contracts, invoices or bank statements take up less space on your hard drive, phone or cloud storage after compression.
- Catalogues and presentations: PDFs with lots of photos open faster and scroll more smoothly on a phone.
- After combining files: A PDF made from many phone photos can be compressed here afterwards if it has become too large to send.
Why are PDFs so big?
Almost always because of the images inside: scanned pages, phone photos or graphics at full camera resolution. Text itself takes up very little space.
Two methods
- Shrink images, keep text: Only the images in the PDF are re-saved at a smaller size. Text, links and form fields stay as they are.
- Whole pages as images: Every page is rebuilt as an image. This almost always shrinks the file a lot, but is only suitable if the text no longer needs to be selectable, e.g. for scans.
If a PDF doesn't get smaller, you don't get a worse result – just a note.
Frequently asked questions
Are my PDFs uploaded?
No. Compression happens entirely in your browser. That matters for contracts, payslips or ID copies.
How much smaller will the PDF get?
It depends on the content. Scanned documents and PDFs with photos often shrink by more than half; pure text documents barely, because they are already small.
Is there a limit?
No. No limit on file size, page count or number of PDFs per day.
Do password-protected PDFs work?
No. Protected PDFs cannot be edited. Remove the protection first with the program you know the password for.
Which strength should I choose?
Start with “Medium” and look at the result. If small print on scanned pages is still easy to read and the file is small enough, you're done. Otherwise go one step up or down and compare.
Why does my PDF barely get smaller?
The tool deliberately skips small graphics such as logos and icons, as well as images in color spaces like CMYK, which appear in print files for example. An image is also only replaced if that makes it noticeably smaller. If a PDF consists mainly of such content and embedded fonts, there is little to gain.
What is lost with “Whole pages as images”?
Besides selectable text, also links, form fields and bookmarks, because every page is rebuilt as a plain image. The page size stays the same.
My scan from the office copier doesn't shrink – why?
Copiers often store black-and-white scans in formats that are already very compact and are left unchanged here. Try “Whole pages as images”. If the file doesn't get smaller that way either, the original was already well compressed.
What is the compressed file called?
It gets the original name with “-small” added. That way you don't overwrite your original by mistake and can compare both versions.
Can I compress a result again?
You can, but the images lose more quality each time. It's better to choose a stronger setting on the original right away.