Free PDF Compressor
Compress a PDF to your exact target file size in KB. All processing happens in your browser — your PDF is never uploaded anywhere.
How PDF Compression Works
Unlike a text-based PDF optimizer, this tool guarantees a target size by converting every page to a compressed JPEG image and rebuilding the PDF from those images:
- Upload your PDF. Any standard (non-password-protected) PDF works.
- Set your target size. Enter the maximum size in KB for the whole document.
- Automatic optimization. Each page is rendered to an image, then the tool searches for the highest JPEG quality that still fits your target across every page.
- Download. Get a new PDF at or under your target size.
Because every page becomes an image, text in the output PDF is no longer selectable or searchable. This trade-off is what makes a guaranteed target size possible, and it's the same approach most free online PDF compressors use.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does this PDF compressor upload my file to a server?
- No. Every page is rasterized and re-encoded entirely in your browser, and the compressed PDF is rebuilt locally too. Your document never leaves your device.
- Will my PDF's text still be selectable after compression?
- No. This tool works by converting each page to a compressed image and rebuilding the PDF from those images, the same approach most online PDF compressors use. This guarantees a predictable file size but means text is no longer selectable or searchable in the output. It's best for scanned documents, forms, and upload-size limits, not for text documents you need to keep editable.
- Can I always hit my exact target size?
- The tool gets as close as possible to your target without going over. For PDFs with many pages, there's a practical floor since quality can only be reduced so far before pages become illegible — if that happens, try a higher target or split the PDF into smaller files first.
- Does this work with password-protected PDFs?
- No, password-protected or encrypted PDFs are not supported. Remove the password first, then upload the file here.