Compress PDF
Make a PDF smaller. Light keeps every page exactly as it is. Strong makes scans and photo-heavy files far smaller by redrawing each page as a picture.
How the files you choose are handled is set out in the privacy policy.
How to compress a PDF
- Tap Choose a PDF.
- Choose Strong for a scan or a file full of photos, or Light to keep the pages untouched.
- With Strong, pick a sharpness and a picture quality.
- Press Compress PDF. The result shows the old size, the new size and the saving.
Light or Strong?
This PDF compressor works in two ways, and the right choice depends on what is making the file big.
| Point | Light | Strong |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Packs data that was stored loosely in the file | Redraws every page as a JPEG picture |
| Pages after | Identical | Look the same at normal zoom, softer when enlarged |
| Text | Still selectable and searchable | Becomes part of the picture |
| Typical saving | Usually small, sometimes none | Large on scans and photo-heavy files |
| Best for | PDFs written by older or simpler software | Scanned documents, phone-photo PDFs, slides with pictures |
| Avoid for | Scans, where it saves little | Text documents you will search, copy from or sign electronically |
The tool refuses to hand back a file that is not smaller. If Light finds nothing to pack it says so, and you can decide whether Strong is acceptable for that document.
Sharpness and quality, in Strong mode
- Screen, 72 dpi is enough for reading on a phone or laptop and gives the smallest file.
- Balanced, 110 dpi stays readable when zoomed in a little, and prints acceptably.
- Print, 150 dpi is for documents that will be printed or that contain small type.
Picture quality sets how hard each page is squeezed. Lower quality adds a slight haze around letters. For a form that has to be legible but not beautiful, 72 dpi at Medium is usually the best trade.
Sizes to aim for
| Where it is going | Usual limit |
|---|---|
| Email attachment | 20 to 25 MB for the whole message |
| Job and university application portals | Often 2 to 5 MB per file |
| Government and visa forms | Often 1 to 2 MB, sometimes a few hundred KB |
| Messaging apps | Large, but small files send faster on mobile data |
These are typical figures, not rules. The form or service you are using states its own limit.
Other ways to make a PDF smaller
- Send fewer pages. Extract PDF pages to keep only what the reader needs.
- Shrink the pictures before they go in. If the PDF was made from photos, make the photos smaller with the image converter and rebuild it with JPG to PDF.
- Split it. Split PDF into parts that each fit under the limit.
Password-protected PDFs can be compressed in Strong mode if you know the password. You are asked for it when you choose the file.
Questions
How do I reduce a PDF to under 1 MB?
Use Strong with Screen, 72 dpi and Lower quality. If it is still too large, the document has too many pages for that limit: extract the pages you need, or split it.
Will compressing make my PDF blurry?
Light never changes the pages. Strong softens them slightly. At 110 dpi and Medium quality most documents remain comfortable to read.
Why did Light not make my file smaller?
The file was already packed tightly. That is common for PDFs saved by current word processors and scanners.
Can I still select text after compressing?
After Light, yes. After Strong, no, because each page is now a picture.
Why is my PDF so large in the first place?
Usually pictures. A scan at 300 dpi in colour, or pages built from phone photos, can run to several megabytes per page.