How to use Compress PDF: a step-by-step guide
Shrink file size by repacking the document and dropping hidden metadata.
Open the free tool, follow the steps and download your result. No sign-up required.
Before you start
- One PDF within the free-plan size limit.
- An unlocked file; encrypted PDFs must be unlocked before compression.
- A copy of the original so you can compare the reported before and after sizes.
Step by step
- Upload a PDF within the free size limit.
- Press Start — the file is repacked.
- Download the compressed PDF and compare the reported sizes.
Common mistakes
- Expecting a scanned PDF to shrink dramatically. Scans that are already JPEG-compressed often change very little.
- Compressing a password-protected file without unlocking it first.
After you download
Download the compressed PDF and compare its size with the original. Open a few pages to verify that text and images are still present.
Questions and answers
How much smaller will it get?
Typically 5–25% for text PDFs exported by older tools, and very little for scans that are already compressed. The result screen shows the exact before and after.
Is page content removed?
No. Only the internal structure is optimised; every page, font and image stays.
Can I compress a password-protected PDF?
Unlock it first — encrypted files cannot be repacked.
Related guides
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This guide walks through combining several PDFs into one file without changing the page order. Arrange the files before you press Start, because the list you see is the order that gets written into the result.
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This guide explains how to add a user password and restrict printing or copying. The result is encrypted with AES-256; anyone who needs to open it must know the password.
Read the step-by-step guide →TutorialPDF to JPG
This guide converts each PDF page into a JPG image. Choose a DPI that matches the job: a lower value for quick previews and a higher value for print-quality images.
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