How to Compress a PDF and Reduce Its File Size

Large PDFs are a common problem: an email bounces, a government portal accepts only files under 1 MB, or a scanned document takes ages to share. Compressing a PDF reduces its size, mostly by storing the pictures inside it more efficiently. PDFMasala's Compress PDF tool does this on your device.

How to compress a PDF, step by step

Open Compress PDF from the home page.
Choose your file. The tool shows its current size and a preview of the pages.
Pick a level such as light, recommended or strong, or set a target size and let the tool find the best quality that fits.
Choose how text is treated. Keep Text Sharp keeps text as real, crisp text and shrinks only the pictures. Max Shrink turns each page into an optimised image for the smallest possible file.
Optional extras: convert to grayscale (black and white) for an even smaller file, or keep only the pages you need.
Compress and download. The estimated new size is shown before you save.

Which setting should I use?

Documents with text (letters, reports, forms): Keep Text Sharp. Text stays selectable and searchable.
Scans and photos: Max Shrink usually gives the biggest saving.
Strict upload limit: use a target size, for example 1 MB or 500 KB.
Printing in black and white anyway: grayscale removes colour data and saves space.

Frequently asked questions

Why did my file hardly get smaller?

PDFs that contain mostly text are already small; there is little to remove. The biggest savings come from files with many photos or scanned pages.

Will the PDF still be readable?

Yes. Start with the recommended level and check the preview. If small print looks blurry, choose a lighter level.

Is compression done online?

No. Your PDF is compressed in your browser and never uploaded, so it is safe for private documents.

Open the tool →