Compress PDF
Reduce PDF file size while preserving readability
How It Works
Select Your File
Upload, drag & drop, or paste directly from clipboard.
Configure Options
Set quality level and output format.
Download Result
Processed entirely in your browser. Download instantly.
About Compress PDF
Reduce the file size of PDF documents by re-compressing embedded images, removing duplicate resources, and applying stream compression. This browser-based tool uses PDF-lib and advanced browser APIs to process files locally without any server upload. Large PDFs with many high-resolution images can often be reduced by 50–80 %. Three compression levels are available: low (minimal quality loss), medium (balanced), and high (maximum reduction). Ideal for sharing PDFs by email, uploading to portals with size limits, or archiving documents efficiently. Text and vector graphics remain fully sharp at all compression levels.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much will my PDF shrink?
Image-heavy PDFs typically shrink 50–80 %. Text-only PDFs may see less reduction as they are already compact.
Will text still be selectable after compression?
Yes. Text, fonts, and vector graphics are not affected by the compression process.
Is there a maximum file size?
No server limit applies. Processing happens in-browser; very large files may be slow on low-memory devices.
How much can FileCraft reduce a PDF file size?
Typical reduction is 30–70% for text-heavy PDFs and 50–85% for PDFs with images. Results depend on the original content and your chosen quality setting.
Will compression affect the readability of text in my PDF?
Text compression is lossless — text quality is never affected. Only embedded images are compressed when you choose lower quality settings.
Can I compress a scanned PDF?
Yes. Scanned PDFs are essentially image-only PDFs. Compressing them reduces image quality, so use "Medium" or "Low" compression to keep text legible.
Why do I need to compress a PDF for email?
Gmail limits attachments to 25MB. Outlook limits to 20MB. Many government and university portals limit uploads to 1–10MB. Compression ensures your PDF meets those limits.
Does FileCraft upload my PDF to compress it?
No. FileCraft uses pdf-lib running as WebAssembly in your browser. Your PDF is processed locally and never transmitted to any server.
Privacy & Security
Your PDF is processed entirely in your browser using WebAssembly. It never leaves your device — no upload, no cloud, no privacy risk.
FileCraft uses pdf-lib (WebAssembly) to re-render and compress embedded images while preserving all text, links, and document structure.