Email attachments
Slim down scans so they fit under typical 10 to 25 MB attachment limits.
Free PDF tool
Compress PDF
Shrink a scan-heavy PDF to a fraction of its size. Each page is re-rendered as a JPG at a chosen DPI and quality, then bundled back into a new PDF. Ideal for email attachments, mobile uploads, and large image-based scans.
3 presetsCustom DPI & qualityBefore / after size100% in browser
Compress PDF
Upload a PDF, pick a preset, then compress.
Compression re-renders each page as a JPG and rebuilds the PDF. Text becomes part of the image, so this works best on scans. Vector-only PDFs may grow rather than shrink.
When this compression helps
Scans and photo-heavy PDFs
Phone scans, scanned books, and photo-rich brochures usually shrink dramatically because the originals are already raster images at high DPI.
When to skip this tool
Vector PDFs with selectable text (digital exports from Word, Pages, or LaTeX) often grow because vector content is already small. Use the source app's "save as smaller PDF" or "export for web" instead.
How to compress a PDF
- 01
Upload your PDF
Drop the source file. The original size and page count appear so you can compare.
- 02
Pick a preset
Lightest, smaller, balanced, or custom DPI and JPG quality.
- 03
Compress and download
You get a side-by-side size comparison so you can decide whether to keep or try a different preset.
Common use cases
Mobile uploads
Cut data costs and upload times for forms and applications uploaded over mobile networks.
Archival storage
Lower the storage cost of long-term scan archives where moderate quality is acceptable.
Web previews
Compress a large scanned brochure before embedding it on a website.
Shared drives
Reduce sync time on team drives that hold many large scanned documents.
Faster shareable links
Smaller PDFs deliver faster when shared as a link with PDFtoLink.
Compress PDF FAQ
Is the PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. Pages are rendered and rebuilt entirely in your browser using PDF.js and pdf-lib. Nothing is sent to a server.
Will the text still be selectable?
No. This compression replaces each page with a JPG image. If you need to keep selectable text, this tool is not the right fit.
Why did my PDF get bigger?
If the original is a vector-only PDF (digital export with selectable text), the page content is already small. Converting it to a JPG image typically grows the file. Try a lower DPI or use the source app to export a smaller PDF.
Does it remove annotations and form fields?
Yes. Interactive content does not survive the raster step. Use the metadata or organize tools if you need to keep them.
Are signatures and OCR text preserved?
No. Visual signature glyphs appear inside the new JPG pages, but cryptographic signatures and OCR text layers are not preserved.
Can I share the compressed PDF as a link?
Yes. After download, upload it to PDFtoLink to generate an instant shareable URL with optional password protection.