Three Compression Levels
Light, Balanced, and Maximum presets let you choose the trade-off between size and quality.
Compress PDF Online
Reduce PDF file size with clear compression presets. Upload your file, choose a level, and download a smaller PDF - with honest guidance on what each preset does.
How It Works
Upload Your PDF
Select or drag and drop the PDF you want to compress.
Choose Compression Level
Pick Light for structure optimization, or Balanced/Maximum for stronger image-based compression.
Download Smaller PDF
Review the size comparison and download your compressed file.
Compression Features
Size Comparison
See original and compressed file sizes before downloading.
Clear Expectations
We explain when compression re-encodes pages as images and affects text selectability.
Single File Upload
Upload one PDF at a time with standard file-size limits shown on the tool page.
No Account Needed
Compress PDFs directly in your browser without signing up.
Standard PDF Output
Download a normal PDF file compatible with common PDF readers.
What to expect from PDF compression
PDF compression results depend on what is inside your file. Light compression optimizes PDF structure and works best on text-heavy documents. Balanced and Maximum modes re-encode each page as a compressed image, which can significantly reduce size for scans and photo-heavy PDFs.
Image-based compression makes text non-selectable and may reduce visual sharpness. If you need searchable text, try Light compression first or use a dedicated desktop tool for advanced optimization.
PageCraft PDF processes your file in memory and returns the compressed PDF for download. We do not keep uploaded files as permanent storage.
Compress PDF FAQ
How do I compress a PDF online?
Upload your PDF, choose Light, Balanced, or Maximum compression, and click Compress PDF. When processing completes, review the size comparison and download the compressed file.
Which compression level should I use?
Use Light for text-heavy PDFs when you want to keep selectable text. Use Balanced or Maximum for scans and image-heavy files when smaller size matters more than text selectability.
Will compression always reduce file size?
Not always. Light compression mainly optimizes PDF structure. Some files may already be efficiently encoded, so the compressed file can be similar in size or slightly larger depending on the preset.
Does compression affect text selectability?
Light compression keeps page content as-is. Balanced and Maximum modes re-encode pages as images, so text is no longer selectable in those modes.
Can I compress password-protected PDFs?
No. Remove the password with the original source first, then upload the unlocked PDF for compression.
Is there a page limit?
Yes. Compression supports PDFs up to the page limit shown in the tool settings. Very large documents may take longer to process.