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Compress PDF

Make a PDF smaller so it fits upload limits, with light, medium or strong compression.

Best for scans and photos

PDFs made from phone photos or scanners are often several MB because each page is a large image. Compressing them can cut the size by 70% or more, which is often enough to pass a 1 MB or 500 KB upload limit.

What you can do with the Compress PDF

What changes

Because each page becomes a picture, text in the new file can't be selected or searched and links stop working. That is fine for uploading documents, but keep your original for anything else.

Pick the level

Light keeps pages sharp for printing. Medium is a good balance for uploads. Strong gives the smallest file and is still readable on screen.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I compress a PDF to under 1 MB?

Choose your PDF, pick Medium and tap Compress. If it is still too big, try Strong.

Why did my PDF not get smaller?

PDFs that are mostly typed text are already small. Turning them into pictures would make them bigger, so the tool tells you to keep the original.

Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?

No. Compression happens in your browser.

How do I get a PDF under 500 KB?

Use Strong. Scanned documents of a few pages usually fit. If not, split the file or remove extra pages first.

Which level should I choose?

Medium for most uploads, Light if you will print it, and Strong when a form has a tight size limit.

Will the text still be readable?

Yes, on screen and in print. But it becomes part of the page picture, so it can't be selected, copied or searched.

Why can't I find text in the compressed PDF?

Each page is saved as an image to make it small. Keep your original if you need to search or copy text.

How long does it take?

A few seconds for small files. Large PDFs with many pages take longer on older phones.

Can I compress a password-protected PDF?

No. Remove the password first, then try again.

Is there a size limit?

No fixed limit, but files up to about 100 pages work best on a phone.

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