PDF Compressor

PDF Compressor tries to reduce file size by recompressing supported embedded images inside a PDF while leaving text as real text. Pages are not flattened into full-page bitmaps, which helps keep text sharp but means some PDFs cannot shrink much.

Processing uses pdf-lib in your browser on one PDF up to 20 MB. Choose Low, Balanced, or High compression to trade image quality against size reduction.

1. Drop a PDF onto the upload area or choose a file with the picker.
2. Select a compression mode: Low (gentler on photos), Balanced (default balance), or High (smaller files, softer images; the UI warns before High).
3. Click Compress & download. If recompression saves meaningful space, you get a smaller PDF; if not, ToolsArk keeps the original bytes and tells you rather than delivering a fake “compressed” copy.
4. Use Clear to remove the current file and run another compression.

The tool targets JPEG and uncompressed RGB or grayscale images embedded in the PDF. Text and vector drawing are copied without being rasterized. PDFs that are mostly text, already use efficient image codecs, or rely on formats the pass does not rewrite may show little or no savings.

Low recompresses supported images without shrinking their pixel dimensions. Balanced and High also downsample large embedded images (about 2048 px and 1440 px on the longest edge) before recompressing, so High can reduce both quality and resolution. Balanced is the middle setting for everyday documents with mixed text and pictures.

• Shrink photo-heavy reports or brochures before emailing.
• Reduce scan PDFs where pages were saved as large embedded images.
• Quick size check when a portal enforces an attachment limit.

• Start with Balanced; switch to High only when you accept visible image trade-offs.
• Compare the reported size before and after download; if savings are negligible, the original may already be optimal.
• For image-only scans, re-scanning at lower resolution or using a dedicated scan app may beat in-PDF compression.

Compression runs in your browser with pdf-lib. Your PDF is not sent to ToolsArk servers or an external compression API.

Processed bytes exist in browser memory until you download or clear the tool. Closing the tab discards that session data from the page context.

• Single PDF, maximum 20 MB; batch compression is not supported.
• Encrypted PDFs cannot be processed in the browser.
• Text-only or already-optimized files often cannot get smaller without flattening, which this tool deliberately avoids.
• Does not remove metadata, fonts, or unused objects beyond the image recompression pass.
• Does not merge, split, or edit page order; combine with PDF Merge or Split when needed.