Compress PDF
Make a heavy PDF small enough for email or upload forms.
Processed on this device. Nothing is uploaded.
How to use Compress PDF
- 1
Click "Select files" or drag your files onto the box.
- 2
Change the options if you need to.
- 3
Click "Compress PDF" and download the result.
Most heavy PDFs are heavy because of the photos inside them. The default "Keep text" mode shrinks those photos and leaves text and drawings untouched, so you can still select and search the text. For scans, the "Scan" modes redraw each page as an optimised image, which cuts the size even more. You see the before and after size straight away, and if the file cannot get smaller you get the original back.
Updated:
How to compress a PDF without uploading it anywhere
A PDF is usually heavy because of the pictures inside it: photos, scanned pages, high resolution logos. Text and fonts take up very little room. So the useful question is not "how do I squeeze this file" but "what should happen to the images". DocJuno gives you two answers, and all of the work happens on your own computer or phone.
The "Keep text" mode goes through the images stored in the PDF and saves them again at a lower weight. Everything else stays where it was. You can still select, search and copy the text, and the pages look the same at normal zoom. This is the right mode for reports, brochures, presentations exported to PDF and anything else that was created on a computer.
The "Scan" modes take a different route. Each page is drawn as a picture and saved as a compact JPG, and those pictures are put into a fresh PDF. This removes everything a scan does not need and gives the smallest files, but the text becomes part of the image and can no longer be selected. Use it for scans and phone photos of paper. You see the old and new size as soon as it finishes, and if the result would be larger than your original, you get the original back.
Why your PDF is still too big, and how to fix it
Email still rejects the attachment
Many providers stop at about 20 to 25 MB, and the encoding used for attachments adds roughly a third on top of the file size. Aim well below the limit. If a long scan will not get small enough even on the strongest level, split it with Split PDF and send it in two messages.
Small print is hard to read after compressing
This happens on the strongest "Scan: smallest file" mode, where pages are drawn at a lower resolution. Go back to the original and choose a milder level. For a document that was typed rather than scanned, use "Keep text" instead, since its letters stay sharp at any zoom.
A typed document hardly shrinks in "Keep text" mode
If the file has few or no images, there is little to recompress. That is normal. A Word export of 30 pages of text is often already small. Check whether the size really matters, or whether one big photo on the cover page is the culprit.
Links and form fields are gone
In the "Scan" modes the new PDF contains only pictures of the pages, so clickable links and fillable fields do not survive. If you need them, use "Keep text", or fill in and save the form before you compress.
Keep text or Scan: which mode to choose?
Ask one question: was this PDF made on a computer, or is it a picture of paper? Exports from Word, Excel, Google Docs or a design program belong in "Keep text". You keep selectable text and usually still get a solid size cut if the file has photos in it.
Scans, phone photos of documents and faxes are pictures anyway. There is no real text to lose, so a "Scan" mode is the better fit and will shrink them far more.
Questions
Will I still be able to select text after compressing?
Yes, in both "Keep text" modes. Only the "Scan" modes turn pages into images, which is what makes scans so much smaller but also turns text into pixels.
How much smaller will my file get?
Scans and photo-heavy files often shrink by 50 to 90 percent. Documents that are mostly text may barely change.
How do I compress a PDF to under 1 MB or 2 MB?
Start with the default level and look at the new size. If it is still above the limit, try the next stronger level. For a long scan that will not fit even then, remove pages you do not need with Remove PDF Pages, or split it into parts.
Does compressing a PDF break a digital signature?
A digital signature is tied to the exact bytes of the file, so any change, including compression, makes it invalid. A signature that is just an image of handwriting stays visible. Compress before signing, or send the signed original.
Can I compress a PDF on my phone?
Yes. It works in mobile browsers. A long scan in a "Scan" mode takes longer on a phone than on a laptop, so keep the tab open until the result appears.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. The tool runs in your browser and the files never leave your device. Close the tab and nothing is left behind.