Compress PDF — Up to 90% Smaller
Free, unlimited, no signup. Shrink a PDF in your browser, optionally down to an exact size limit like 100 KB. Your file never leaves this device.
Get under a size limit
Picking a size limit automatically turns pages into compact images and dials quality down until the file fits. Nothing is ever uploaded — compression happens entirely in this tab.
Hit a size limit? Start here.
Each page opens the compressor pre-set to that limit and explains the quirks of that target.
Compress PDF to Under 100 KB
College, scholarship and government form portals that reject big files.
Target: 100 KB → open tool →Compress PDF to Under 200 KB
Tender, exam and HR portals with a 200 KB upload cap.
Target: 200 KB → open tool →Compress PDF to Under 500 KB
LMS assignments, invoice uploads and most strict web forms.
Target: 500 KB → open tool →Compress PDF to Under 1 MB
Resume and portfolio uploads, chat sharing, quick email attachments.
Target: 1 MB → open tool →How it works
- 1. Drop your PDF in. It is parsed by JavaScript in this tab — no upload, no server, works offline after the first load.
- 2. Pick a level. Lossless keeps live text; Light, Balanced and Strong re-render pages as compact images for real savings. Set a size limit and it escalates automatically until the file fits.
- 3. Download the result. You see the exact before/after sizes first — if the tool cannot shrink the file, it tells you instead of pretending.
Which level should I pick?
Lossless — text must stay selectable
Rebuilds the file and drops unused data. Text, links and copy-paste are untouched. Expect modest savings (0–20%); it will never make things worse.
Light — share or print as-is
Re-encodes images at high quality. The safe choice for contracts, reports and anything you may print.
Balanced — the default
Visually clean on any screen with big savings. The right level for email attachments and most uploads.
Strong — a portal says “file too large”
Smallest readable output for strict KB caps. Small print gets softer; only go here when you have to.
Advertisement
Good to know
Is this PDF compressor really free?
Yes — free, unlimited and without an account. There is no file-count cap, no daily limit and no watermark on the output. Display ads pay for the servers.
Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
No. The file is read with JavaScript inside your browser tab and the compressed copy is generated on your device. Nothing is uploaded, stored or seen by anyone else.
Will compression ruin my PDF?
Lossless mode keeps every page exactly as it was and only strips wasted data. Balanced looks identical on screen for almost every document. Strong re-renders pages as images, which softens fine print — use it only when a size limit forces you.
Why is my PDF so big to begin with?
Usually scanned pages or photos embedded at print resolution, embedded font subsets, or an editor that re-saves without optimizing. A 20-page scan can easily be 12 MB while looking like plain text.
Can I get my PDF under 100 KB for a form portal?
Yes — pick the ≤100 KB limit and the tool dials quality down automatically until the file fits. If it cannot reach the target honestly, it says so instead of sending you off with a file the portal will reject.
Will the compressed PDF still have selectable text?
In Lossless mode, yes — text stays selectable and searchable. When a size limit requires image compression, pages become pictures of the original pages, so the text is readable but not selectable (no OCR is applied).
More file tools: image compressor → · background remover → · all design tools → · all tools →