iformat

Document Compressor

Shrink a PDF to meet an email or upload cap, with the text still sharp.

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Up to 50 MB per file. Sign up free to compress files up to 100 MB.

About Document Compression

PDFs grow large for three reasons: embedded images, duplicate fonts, and high scan resolution. A 20-page report with photos can easily reach 15-25 MB, too heavy for most email providers and upload portals. Document compression tackles each source separately. It resamples embedded images to a lower resolution, subsets fonts so only the characters your document uses are kept, and strips redundant metadata and duplicate internal objects.

The result is a smaller file that looks and prints the same. Text stays crisp at any zoom level because it is vector-based, not pixel-based. Charts, tables, and hyperlinks remain fully functional. The only visible change is a slight softening of embedded photographs at very high zoom, something that rarely matters for on-screen reading or standard printing.

If you need a specific target size, try our PDF Compressor where you can choose an exact limit like 500 KB, 1 MB, or 2 MB. Word, PowerPoint and Excel files cannot be compressed directly, convert them to PDF first, then compress the PDF.

How to Compress Documents Online

Reduce document file sizes by up to 85 % in three steps, no software, no sign-up.

  1. 1

    Upload Your Documents

    Drag and drop files or browse your device. This compressor works on PDF files. To shrink a Word, PowerPoint or Excel document, convert it to PDF first.

  2. 2

    Pick a Compression Level

    Choose maximum compression for the smallest file, balanced mode for the best quality-to-size ratio, or set a custom target size for precise control.

  3. 3

    Download Compressed Documents

    Preview the result and download individually or as a ZIP. Processing takes seconds and all files are automatically deleted after 1 hour.

What this compressor does well

How It Works Inside Your PDF

We examine each element separately. Embedded images get resampled to a sensible resolution. Fonts are subsetted to include only the characters the document uses. Duplicate objects and unused metadata are removed.

All Major Formats

Compression targets the images embedded inside a PDF, which are usually 70-95% of its size. Text, fonts and vector graphics are left untouched, so they stay sharp and selectable at any target.

Private and Temporary

Your documents travel over 256-bit SSL encryption. We store nothing permanently, all files are automatically deleted within 1 hour of processing.

Batch Processing

Upload multiple documents and compress them all with the same settings. Great for clearing out oversized archives, preparing email attachments, or tidying up shared drives.

Formatting Stays Intact

Text, images, tables, charts, links, bookmarks, and form fields all remain functional after compression. Your documents look and work exactly as they did before, just smaller.

Meet Upload Limits

Government portals, university submission systems, and email providers all enforce size caps. Our compressor helps you fit under 5 MB, 2 MB, or even 500 KB limits without splitting your document.

Frequently asked questions

Which document formats can this tool compress?
PDF only. Word, PowerPoint and Excel files have no compressible structure the engine can work on, their size lives inside the embedded media, in a container it would have to rebuild. Uploading a .docx returns a clear error rather than a silent no-op. Convert the document to PDF first, then compress the PDF; the layout is preserved either way.

Why will my scanned PDF barely shrink?
A scan is not really a document, it is one full-page photograph per page, with no text objects and no fonts to subset. All the engine can do is resample those page images to a lower resolution, so the saving is bounded by how much resolution you can afford to lose. A 300 DPI scan resampled to 150 DPI stays perfectly readable on screen; going much below that starts to blur small print.

Can I compress a password-protected PDF?
No, and the tool will tell you so instead of returning your file untouched. Encryption blocks the engine from reading the internal objects it needs to rewrite. Open the PDF in your reader, remove the password, compress it, then re-apply protection to the result if you still need it.

Will compression break form fields, bookmarks or signatures?
Form fields, bookmarks, internal links and the table of contents all survive and stay functional. A digital signature does not: any tool that rewrites the file invalidates the signature, because the signature attests to the exact bytes it was applied to. Compress first and sign afterwards, never the other way round.

My PDF is already under the target - will it still be processed?
No. The size check happens before compression, so a file that already meets your target comes back exactly as you uploaded it. Nothing is re-encoded and nothing is resampled, which matters for a document you have already compressed once.

How small can a PDF realistically get?
It depends entirely on what is inside. A report full of photographs and scans can lose 70-90% of its size, because the images it is made of are nearly all of its weight. A text-only PDF is already close to minimal, the text and fonts are vector data measured in kilobytes, so asking for 100KB from a 120KB contract will achieve very little.

Related guides

How to Compress PDF for LinkedIn Upload (Documents and Resumes) LinkedIn accepts PDF uploads for carousel-style document posts and resumes. Here is how to optimize them for fast loading, mobile viewing, and maximum engagement. How to Compress PDF for Government Form Upload (Portal Size Limits) Government upload portals have strict file size limits, often just 1-5MB. Here is how to compress your PDFs to meet those limits without making documents unreadable. How to Reduce Scanned PDF Size Without Losing Readability Scanned PDFs can be 5-10MB per page because each page is a full-resolution image. Here is how to shrink them dramatically while keeping text sharp and readable. Best Free PDF Compressors in 2026: Honest Comparison Not all free PDF compressors are actually free. Here's an honest look at what each tool offers, what they limit, and which one gives you the best compression without a paywall.

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