Compress PDF Online – Reduce PDF Size
Compress PDF online
Reduce PDF size in your browser with Toolshelf. Nothing is uploaded. Results will not match Ghostscript; already-small files may not shrink.
How to compress a PDF
- 1. Drop a PDF.
- 2. Choose Balanced (safer) or Smaller (rebuilds pages as images).
- 3. Compare sizes and download.
Compress PDF FAQ
- What is Compress PDF?
- It tries to make a smaller copy of your PDF in the browser. Balanced rewrites objects. Smaller rebuilds pages as JPEG pictures, which can look softer.
- Will it match iLovePDF or Adobe?
- No. Those tools use desktop-grade engines such as Ghostscript. This page is honest about that: some files barely shrink, especially text-only PDFs.
- Are my files uploaded?
- No. Compression runs locally. A draft of the file and the level can stay on this device after refresh. Toolshelf does not receive the PDF. Use Reset to clear the draft.
- What if the new file is larger?
- We keep the original bytes and tell you it could not reduce. Photos and scans usually shrink more than vector text.
- Password-protected PDFs?
- Encrypted files are rejected. Unlock first if you know the password. This tool does not remove unknown passwords.
When to compress a PDF here
Use this when you need a smaller PDF without sending the file to a server.
- Before/after sizes on the page.
- Original kept if it cannot shrink.
- Draft can restore after refresh.
Limitations
- Not Ghostscript-quality compression.
- Smaller mode can reduce text sharpness.
- Encrypted PDFs are not opened.
Need pages as images instead? Use PDF to JPG. Combine files with Merge PDF.
Canonical URL: https://www.toolshelf.in/tools/compress-pdf
Examples
Shrink a scan
Open a multi-page PDF and compress it locally before emailing.
What would you like to do next?
Continue working with the next step in this workflow. Recently used tools in this set are listed first.
- Protect PDF — Protect PDF with a password in your browser, or unlock a file whose password you already know.
- PDF to JPG — PDF to JPG converter.
- Merge PDF — Merge PDF files in your browser.
- Split PDF — Split PDF files in your browser.
You may also need
Continue with related browser-based tools on Toolshelf.
- PDF to JPG — PDF to JPG converter.
- Merge PDF — Merge PDF files in your browser.
- Split PDF — Split PDF files in your browser.
- JPG to PDF — JPG to PDF converter.
- Protect PDF — Protect PDF with a password in your browser, or unlock a file whose password you already know.
- Word to PDF Converter — Word to PDF converter.
- Image Compressor — Online image compressor.
- Organize PDF — Organize PDF pages in your browser.
Next steps
Related workflows on Toolshelf. These are curated paths, not usage rankings.
- PDF workflow — Merge, compress, then protect PDFs in the browser. There is no watermark tool yet.