Make a PDF smaller without unreadable pages

Open Compress PDF, read the warning, then start at 100 dpi and 60% quality. Compare the sizes shown and download only if the new file is smaller and readab

Quick answer

Open Compress PDF, read the warning, then start at 100 dpi and 60% quality. Compare the sizes shown and download only if the new file is smaller and readable.

How it works

The tool redraws each page as an image and builds a new PDF. That can shrink scans and photo-heavy files, but text stops being selectable and searchable, and links and forms are lost.

If pages look blurry

Raise the resolution to 150 dpi or the quality slider, and try again. Small text needs more resolution than photos.

If the file got bigger

Mostly-text PDFs are often already small and can grow when turned into images. Keep the original. You can also shrink the source photos first with the photo resizer and rebuild with JPG to PDF.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my compressed PDF larger?

Pages are redrawn as images. Mostly-text PDFs can grow that way; keep the original.

Can I keep selectable text?

Not with this tool, because it turns pages into images.

Tools for this topic

Merge PDF · Split PDF · Organize PDF · JPG to PDF · PDF to JPG · Compress PDF · Sign PDF · Edit PDF · Fill PDF form · PDF to Word (text only) · Word to PDF (text only) · Turn several photos into one PDF · Add page numbers to PDF · Watermark PDF