Compress PDF
Compress PDF files to reduce file size for email and uploads. Free online PDF compressor that runs in your browser, so your files never leave your device.
Upload PDF Files
About This Tool
Compress PDF reduces the file size of your PDF documents while maintaining acceptable quality. This is essential for email attachments, web uploads, or saving storage space.
The tool offers multiple compression levels to balance between file size reduction and quality preservation. You can choose aggressive compression for maximum size reduction or light compression to maintain higher quality.
All compression happens in your browser, ensuring your documents never leave your device.
Start with a medium compression level and compare the result with the original at normal zoom. If photos still look clean, try a stronger level; if fine print or charts turn blurry, step back. Image-heavy files such as scans and brochures shrink the most, while text-only documents are already compact. If a portal has a strict size cap, removing unneeded pages with Delete PDF Pages before compressing usually helps more than pushing the compression harder.
People usually compress files right before sending them somewhere: a visa application, a court filing, an HR portal. Uploading that same document to an online compressor first adds another place where it could be stored. TokPDF compresses inside your browser with WebAssembly, so the file never leaves your device, and you skip the upload and download round trip that slows down server-based tools, which matters most on slow connections.
How to Use
Upload Your PDF
Drag and drop your PDF file or click to select the document you want to compress.
Choose Compression Level
Select your preferred compression level: Low (best quality), Medium (balanced), or High (smallest size).
Compress and Download
Click Compress to reduce the file size, then download your optimized PDF.
Use Cases
Email Attachments
Reduce PDF size to meet email attachment limits and ensure faster delivery.
Web Publishing
Optimize PDFs for web download to improve page load times and user experience.
Storage Optimization
Compress archived documents to save disk space while maintaining accessibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much can I reduce the file size?
Compression results vary based on the PDF content. Image-heavy PDFs can often be reduced by 50-80%, while text-only PDFs may see smaller reductions.
Will compression affect text quality?
Text remains sharp and readable at all compression levels. Only images and graphics are affected by compression.
Can I compress multiple PDFs at once?
Yes, you can upload and compress up to 10 PDF files simultaneously.
How do I compress a PDF to send by email?
Many email services cap attachments at around 20 to 25 MB. Load your PDF, pick a compression level, and check the new file size shown before downloading. If it is still too large, try a stronger level or split the document into parts and send them separately.
Why did my PDF barely get smaller?
Files that are mostly text or vector graphics are already efficient, so there is little left to remove. Compression works best on PDFs with large photos or scanned pages. A file that was already compressed by another tool may also show only a small reduction.
Can I compress a scanned PDF?
Yes. Scanned PDFs are essentially page-sized images, so they usually compress well. Stronger levels lower the image resolution, so zoom in on small print after compressing to make sure it is still legible before you submit the file.
Does compressing a PDF remove text or links?
No. Compression targets images and redundant data inside the file. Your text, page count, and page order stay the same, and selectable text remains selectable. Always keep the original in case you need a higher-quality copy later.