Compress PDF

Q: How do I compress a PDF to 200 KB (or 100 KB)?

Switch to Target file size, choose 200 KB (or type any limit) and add your PDF. The tool steps down image resolution and quality until the file fits.

Make PDFs small enough for email and upload portals. Pick a compression level or a target size like 200 KB — images are optimised while text stays crisp, and your files never leave your device.

Runs in your browser Free · no sign-up Works on any device

Drop PDF files here or click to browseScans, reports, forms and presentations — compress one or many at once Files never leave your device

At a glance

Recompresses the images inside a PDF at 72, 150 or 220 DPI; text, fonts and vector graphics are never rasterised, so text stays sharp and selectable.
Target size mode tries stronger settings step by step until the PDF fits a limit such as 100 KB, 200 KB or 1 MB.
Lossless mode only optimises the file structure (object streams and maximum Flate compression with QPDF) and leaves image quality untouched.
The result is checked to have the same number of pages, and if compression can’t make a file smaller, the original is returned.
Compress several PDFs at once and download them individually or as a ZIP.
PDFs that need a password to open must be unlocked first; permission-restricted PDFs are compressed with their restrictions kept (images re-encoded, not resized).
Runs entirely in your browser: files are never uploaded.

Step by step

How to compress a PDF

1
Add your PDF
Drop one or more PDF files onto the box, or click to browse.
2
Choose how much to compress
Pick Recommended for most files, Extreme for the smallest size, Light for print quality, or Lossless to keep images unchanged. Or switch to Target file size and enter a limit in KB.
3
Check the result
Each file shows its size before and after. Change the level and it recompresses automatically.
4
Download
Download each compressed PDF, or all of them as a ZIP.

Features

Everything you need, nothing you don’t

Text stays text

Many online compressors turn every page into a picture. Here only the images are optimised, so text remains searchable, selectable and razor-sharp.

Hit an exact size

Need a PDF under 200 KB for an application portal? Enter the limit and the tool finds the best quality that fits.

Smart image resampling

Photos and scans are resized to the resolution the page actually needs, then re-encoded — the biggest saving in most large PDFs.

Lossless option

When quality must not change, lossless mode repacks the file’s structure with QPDF for a smaller file with identical content.

Never worse

Every result is validated. If a PDF is already well optimised, you get the original back instead of a bigger or broken file.

Private and unlimited

Contracts, statements and certificates stay on your device. No upload, no watermark, no file limit.

Which compression level should I use?

Level	Images	Best for
Extreme	72 DPI, strong compression	The smallest file for screen viewing and strict upload limits
Recommended	150 DPI, good quality	Email, sharing and most upload portals
Light	220 DPI, high quality	Documents that may be printed
Lossless	Unchanged	Files where image quality must not change

Why some PDFs barely shrink

Most of a large PDF’s size is usually photos or scanned pages — that is what compression targets. A PDF that is mostly text and vector graphics, or one whose images are already small, has little to remove, and the tool will tell you it kept the original.

Embedded fonts, forms and attachments are left intact. Scanned documents saved as PNG-style images inside the PDF are converted to JPEG only in lossy modes and only where that makes them smaller.

Compressing PDFs for application portals

Use Target file size and enter the portal’s limit — common limits are 100 KB, 200 KB, 500 KB and 1 MB.
Scan documents in greyscale at 150–200 DPI rather than colour at 600 DPI; the PDF will be far smaller before you even compress it.
Upload one document per PDF. If a portal needs several pages in one file, merge them first, then compress.
Check the compressed file is readable before submitting — zoom in on the smallest text.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to compress confidential PDFs here?

Yes. Compression runs entirely in your browser, so the PDF is never uploaded or stored anywhere.

Will compressing a PDF reduce quality?

Only images are affected, and only in the lossy levels. Text, fonts and vector graphics stay exactly as they were. Choose Light or Lossless if image quality matters most.

How do I compress a PDF to 200 KB (or 100 KB)?

Switch to Target file size, choose 200 KB (or type any limit) and add your PDF. The tool steps down image resolution and quality until the file fits.

Why didn’t my PDF get smaller?

It was probably already optimised or made mostly of text. The tool never returns a larger file — you get the original back. For a text-only PDF, lossless mode may still save a little.

Can I compress a password-protected PDF?

If it needs a password to open, unlock it first with the PDF Password Remover (you need to know the password), then compress the unlocked copy. PDFs that open freely but restrict printing or editing are compressed with their restrictions kept; their images are re-encoded but can only be resized after the restrictions are removed.

Is the text still searchable after compression?

Yes. Pages are not converted to images, so text stays selectable and searchable.

How many PDFs can I compress at once?

As many as you like. They are processed one after another and can be downloaded together as a ZIP.

Does it work on mobile?

Yes, in current mobile browsers. Very large PDFs (hundreds of MB) may need a computer with more memory.

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