Compress PDF
Shrink your PDF file size online — free, fast, and with full control over quality and DPI. No sign-up needed.
- ✓ Free
- ✓ Quality slider
- ✓ DPI control
- ✓ No watermarks
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Why use PDF99?
Quality slider
Control exactly how aggressively images are re-encoded. High quality (85%+) gives minimal visible change. Lower values produce smaller files at the cost of some image sharpness.
DPI control
Set the target resolution for embedded images. 150 DPI is ideal for most digital uses. 72 DPI is optimal for web or email. 300 DPI retains near-print quality.
Real compression
When PDF.js is available, the tool re-renders each page at your chosen DPI and quality. This produces genuine file size reduction, not just metadata stripping.
No quality loss at high settings
Set quality to 85% or above and the output will be visually indistinguishable from the original.
Fast, local processing
Compression runs in your browser. Your PDF doesn't travel to a remote server.
No size limits
Compress any PDF regardless of how large it is.
What is a PDF compressor?
A PDF compressor is an online tool that reduces the file size of PDF documents without significantly affecting their quality. It works by optimizing images, removing unnecessary data, and applying efficient compression techniques to create a smaller PDF that's easier to store, upload, and share. Whether you're working with reports, scanned documents, presentations, or forms, compressing a PDF helps save storage space and improves file transfer speed.
Our PDF compressor makes it quick and simple to reduce PDF file sizes while preserving readability and document formatting. Smaller PDF files are ideal for email attachments, website uploads, cloud storage, and online applications that have file size limits. With fast processing and secure file handling, you can compress large PDF documents in seconds and download an optimized version that's ready to use on any device.
What is a PDF file?
A PDF (Portable Document Format) is one of the most popular document formats used for sharing and storing digital files. It preserves the original layout, fonts, images, and formatting regardless of the device or operating system being used. PDFs are commonly used for resumes, invoices, contracts, eBooks, manuals, reports, and scanned documents because they appear the same for every viewer.
PDF files are widely supported across computers, smartphones, tablets, and web browsers, making them the preferred format for professional and personal document sharing. They can also include hyperlinks, forms, digital signatures, and password protection, making PDFs both versatile and secure for everyday use.
How to open a PDF file?
Opening a PDF file is easy because most modern devices include built-in PDF support. On Windows, you can open PDFs using Microsoft Edge or Adobe Acrobat Reader. Mac users can view PDF documents with the Preview application, while Android and iPhone users can open PDFs directly from their default document viewer or apps like Google Drive and Apple Books.
You can also open PDF files in popular web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge without installing additional software. If you need to edit, annotate, sign, or fill out PDF forms, dedicated PDF applications provide advanced tools while maintaining the document's original formatting.
What does PDF compression actually do?
Compress PDF files online quickly and easily without installing any software. Whether you need to share documents by email, upload files to websites, or save storage space on your device, PDF compression helps make your files smaller and more manageable. The process is simple, fast, and accessible from any device with an internet connection.
A smaller PDF file can improve upload and download speeds while making document sharing more convenient. Our PDF compressor optimizes file size while preserving the original layout, formatting, and readability. This ensures that your documents remain professional and easy to view across different platforms and devices.
PDF compression is useful for a wide range of files, including resumes, reports, invoices, presentations, forms, and scanned documents. By reducing unnecessary file size, you can organize, store, and share documents more efficiently without sacrificing the quality of your content. Save time, reduce storage usage, and enjoy a smoother document management experience.
Need to hit a specific file size? Try our Compress to 50KB, 100KB, 200KB, or 500KB tools for automatic target-size compression.
How to compress a PDF
Upload your PDF
Choose your PDF using the file picker or drag it onto the upload area.
Set quality and DPI
Adjust the quality slider and DPI to balance file size against image quality.
Download the result
Click Compress PDF and download your smaller file instantly.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on the content. Image-heavy PDFs compress well — often 30–70%. Text-only PDFs may shrink 10–20%. A PDF already optimised may barely change.
Quality controls how aggressively images are re-encoded (lower = smaller but blurrier). DPI controls the resolution of re-rendered pages (lower = smaller, less sharp).
No. Compress any PDF regardless of size.
Yes. Compression runs in your browser. Your PDF is not sent to a remote server.