Free Online PDF Compressor: Reduce PDF Size
Make a PDF small enough to email, upload or share. Choose how much to shrink it, see the compressed page and the estimated file size before you download, or turn it black and white to save even more. Your file is compressed on your own device and never uploaded.
How to use Compress PDF
- Open Compress PDF and drop your PDF onto the page, or tap "Select PDF File".
- Choose what matters most: keep text sharp, or make the file as small as possible.
- Pick how small: a quality level or a target file size. Turn on grayscale if colour is not needed.
- Compare the compressed preview and the estimated size with the original, then download the smaller PDF.
Features
Move between best quality and smallest size. The estimate updates so you can find the right balance.
Need to stay under 1 MB or 2 MB for a form or portal? Set a target and the compressor aims for it.
Turn colour scans into grayscale for a much smaller file that still prints clearly.
See the compressed page next to the original and check the text is still easy to read before you save.
Keep only the pages you need while compressing, which shrinks the file further.
Compression is done by your browser. Your document is never sent to a server.
When to use it
Large PDFs cause trouble: emails bounce, government and job portals reject uploads over a size limit, and phones run out of space. Scanned documents and PDFs full of photos are usually the biggest. Compressing them keeps the content readable while cutting the file down to a size that is quick to send and easy to store.
Frequently asked questions
How much can a PDF be compressed?
It depends on what is inside. Scanned pages and photos often shrink a lot, sometimes by 70 to 90 percent. A PDF that is mostly plain text is already small and may only shrink a little.
Will my text become blurry?
Choose "Keep Text Sharp" to protect readability. The preview lets you zoom in and check the result before you download, so you only save a file you are happy with.
Can I compress a PDF to a specific size?
Yes. Set a target size and the tool tries to reach it. If the target is very small for the content, the estimate shows how close it can get.
Is compressing online safe for private documents?
With PDFMasala, yes. The file never leaves your device: it is compressed by your browser, not on a server, so nobody else can see it.
Why is my compressed file not much smaller?
Some PDFs contain mostly text and vector drawings, which are already efficient. Try grayscale, a lower quality level, or removing pages you do not need.
Does compression change the original file?
No. A new, smaller PDF is downloaded and your original file stays exactly as it was.
Related tools
Want more detail? Read the step-by-step guide.