All tools · Documents · Compress PDF

Compress PDF.

Reduce the size of a large PDF so it fits an email or upload limit. This compressor rasterizes each page and re-encodes it as a JPEG at the quality you choose, which is very effective for scanned and image-heavy PDFs. It runs entirely in your browser, so the document is never uploaded.

⚠ This compressor rasterizes pages to images — great for scanned/image-heavy PDFs, but text becomes part of the image and is no longer selectable or searchable. For text-only PDFs, size may not decrease.

Drop PDF files here, or browse

Files stay on your device — nothing is uploaded.
i. Drop a PDF onto the box above.
ii. Choose a quality level — lower means a smaller file.
iii. Each page is rendered and re-encoded as a JPEG locally, then rebuilt into a PDF.
iv. Download the compressed PDF. Nothing was uploaded.
More tools: Remove PDF metadataPDF to imagesRepair PDF

Read the guide: How to Compress a PDF Without Uploading It (2026) · How to Compress a PDF to a Target Size (100 KB, 1 MB, or Under a Limit)

Frequently asked questions

Why did my text-only PDF not get smaller?

This tool compresses by turning pages into images, which helps scans a lot but can make a text PDF larger. It is best suited to scanned or image-heavy documents.

Will the text still be selectable?

No. Because pages become images, text is no longer selectable or searchable. Keep the original if you need the text layer.

Are my PDFs uploaded?

No. Compression runs entirely in your browser and works offline.

Can I compress a PDF to 100 KB (or 200 KB) for a portal upload?

Yes — many application portals enforce limits like 100 KB or 200 KB. Enter the limit in the "Target size in KB" field and the tool finds the highest page quality that fits under it. Long documents may not reach a very small target at readable quality; splitting the PDF first and compressing the part you need usually solves that.

Embed this tool

Add this free, no-upload tool to your own site with one line:

<iframe src="https://fileanvil.com/embed/compress-pdf/" width="100%" height="480" style="border:1px solid #ddd;border-radius:12px" title="Compress PDF"></iframe>