PDF

Compress PDF

Reduce a PDF’s file size for email and upload limits. Photos inside the PDF are recompressed while text stays sharp and selectable, or scanned pages are flattened for the smallest file. Nothing is uploaded.

Which level to choose

Level	What it does	Use it for
Balanced	Recompresses the photos inside the PDF; text and drawings stay exactly as they are	Reports, brochures, presentations with photos
Smaller	Stronger photo compression; text stays selectable	Hitting an upload limit with a photo-heavy PDF
Smallest	Turns every page into a compressed image	Scanned documents and phone scans

PDFs made only of text and drawings are already small and do not shrink much; the tool tells you when a file is already well compressed rather than returning a bigger one.

Getting under an upload limit

Try Balanced first and check the new size shown.
If it is still too big and the PDF is a scan, use Smallest.
Still too big? Remove pages you do not need with Split PDF, or build the PDF again from smaller photos with JPG to PDF after shrinking them in the image compressor.

The guide to scanning documents into one PDF explains how to keep scans small from the start.

Private by design

Your PDF is processed in your browser with the open-source pdf.js and pdf-lib libraries. It is never uploaded, which matters for contracts, statements and ID documents.

Common mistakes

Flattening a text PDF
"Smallest" turns pages into images, so text can no longer be selected or searched. Use it for scans, not for documents you need to copy from.
Compressing again and again
Each pass loses a little more photo quality. Compress once from the original.

Guides

How to Scan Documents Into One PDF With Your PhoneTurn photos of documents, receipts and ID pages into a single, readable PDF on any phone, then combine PDFs and keep the file small enough to email or upload.

Frequently asked questions

How much smaller will my PDF get?

It depends on what is inside. PDFs full of photos or scans often shrink by half or more; PDFs that are mostly text are already small and change little. The tool shows the exact saving.

Will the text stay selectable?

Yes with Balanced and Smaller, which only recompress photos. Smallest turns every page into an image, which suits scans but makes text unselectable.

How do I get a PDF under 1 MB or 2 MB?

Try Balanced, then Smaller. For scanned documents, Smallest usually gets well under. If not, remove pages you do not need with Split PDF.

Is my PDF uploaded?

No. It is processed in your browser and never leaves your device.

Last reviewed 4 October 2026. This tool runs in your browser; nothing you enter is stored or sent to Boostlix.