Choosing the right way to make a PDF smaller
How to use this tool
- Choose a PDF up to 30MB. Password-protected documents are not supported.
- Keep the text-preserving mode, or select scan compression and read its tradeoffs.
- Process the document. Check the measured size and target status before downloading.
Choose a compression method
Structure optimization rewrites PDF objects without rasterizing text. Already optimized PDFs may not shrink. Scan compression renders each page as a JPEG and rebuilds the PDF, which often helps image-heavy scans.
What scan compression removes
Flattening loses searchable text, selectable text, form fields, links, tags, layers, and digital signatures. It is limited to 20 pages. Keep the original, especially for accessible, signed, or editable documents.
First identify what is inside your PDF
A PDF can hold selectable text, vector drawings, photographs, scanned page images, forms, and other document features. Two files with the same number of pages can therefore have very different sizes. Identifying the dominant content is more useful than choosing a quality percentage at random.
Try selecting a word in your usual PDF reader. Selectable text suggests at least some document text is stored separately from page images, although OCR can also add text over a scan. The distinction matters because structural optimization preserves that representation, while scan mode creates new page images.
Structure optimization versus scan compression
Structure optimization rewrites PDF objects using compact storage where possible. It does not turn each page into an image or promise to reduce embedded photographs. An already optimized source may show little saving, in which case the original is retained if the new file would be larger.
Scan compression renders each page, encodes that rendering as a JPEG, and builds a new PDF. It can reduce image-heavy sources, but the output is a flattened document. Select this mode only after deciding that losing the original document features is acceptable.
| Property | Structure optimization | Scan compression |
|---|---|---|
| Page content | Rewritten without rasterizing pages | Rendered into JPEG page images |
| Selectable text | Not intentionally rasterized | Not retained as searchable text |
| Forms, links, tags and layers | Does not intentionally flatten them | Not preserved |
| Digital signatures | Rewriting may invalidate signatures | Original signatures are not preserved |
| Processing scope | One PDF up to 30MB | One PDF up to 30MB and 20 pages |
Why page count is not a size guarantee
A scanned page stores its background and lettering as pixels, while a digital text page can store character and layout instructions. A photograph with paper texture may therefore need many more bytes than a clean digital page with the same visible words.
The target applies to the whole saved PDF, including its internal structure. A page containing a large photograph may account for more bytes than several pages of text. Review the most complex pages rather than treating the first page as representative of the whole file.
Check readability and document features separately
After processing, download the file and inspect it in your normal PDF reader. Check the page count and orientation, then examine small text, punctuation, tables, and diagrams. A full-page thumbnail can look clear while hiding letters that become difficult to distinguish at a useful reading size.
A visually similar PDF may still behave differently. Try selecting text, opening a needed link, or interacting with a form field if those features matter. Scan mode cannot preserve them. For signed or accessible documents, keep the source and avoid replacing it with an unverified compressed copy.
When compression cannot meet the limit
If the output is not smaller, the original may already be efficient. A different source export can help more than repeated recompression. Removing unneeded pages or large illustrations belongs in the source document or an appropriate editor; this compressor does not select or delete PDF content.
Encrypted or damaged PDFs are rejected rather than silently processed. Scan mode is limited to twenty pages. This application does not provide password removal, OCR, page deletion, or automatic document compliance checks.
Tools for this step: PDF compressor settings
Frequently asked questions
Is the requested PDF size guaranteed?
No. The downloaded file is measured, and the tool reports if the target was missed. If optimization makes the file larger, it keeps the original.
Is this tool free and unlimited?
Yes. It is free to use with no signup and no daily usage caps. You can process up to 20 files of up to 30MB each in one batch, then download your results.
Does compression change the number of pages?
Both modes are designed to retain the page count. Always verify the downloaded document, particularly if it contains unusual page sizes, forms, or complex rendering.
Can I keep searchable text and still reduce scanned pages?
Structure mode does not rasterize text, but it does not aggressively recompress all embedded scans. Scan mode reduces page images and loses searchable text. This version does not offer a hybrid OCR-preserving scan optimizer.
Why does the download sometimes contain my original PDF?
If the attempted output is larger than the source, the tool returns the original and labels that choice. This prevents a compression workflow from replacing a smaller file with a larger one.