Reduce a scanned or photo-heavy PDF for an attachment or form. Every setting redraws the pages as images, so searchable and selectable text will be lost.
Choose a PDF and check the page count. If it is password protected, first make an authorised unlocked copy using Protect PDF and the password you know.
Balanced is the starting setting. Gentle keeps more image detail; Smallest reduces detail further. There is no exact target-KB control for PDFs.
The result shows the original and new sizes, including when the new file is larger. Save the -smaller.pdf copy, open it and inspect small text, stamps and barcodes before sharing.
A scan stores a picture of each page. Redrawing those pictures at lower resolution and JPEG quality can reduce size, but the saving depends on the original. A PDF exported from a word processor may already be efficient and can grow when compressed this way.
All three settings rasterise every page. Gentle does not preserve a text layer, form interactivity or certificate-based signatures. Do not use this method when a recipient needs searchable text, accessible document structure or a valid digital signature. Re-exporting from the original authoring app with smaller embedded images is a different option.
If a result exceeds an upload limit, try Smallest only after checking readability. Split out unneeded pages if the recipient accepts a shorter document. If processing fails, confirm the original opens in a PDF reader, unlock it with a known password when authorised, or try fewer pages on a device with more memory.
No. The three presets control rendering quality, not an exact file size. Check the output against the receiving system's limit.
None. Gentle, Balanced and Smallest all turn the pages into images.
An efficient text PDF can be smaller than page images. Use the original when the result is larger or the trade-off is unsuitable.
No. The work happens inside this tab, on your own machine. Open your browser's network tab while you use the tool, there is no request carrying your file.
Practical limits depend on the tool, browser and available device memory. Large files can fail even when no explicit limit is shown. Keep an original and use a smaller job if this device cannot finish it.
No, and there is no daily limit either. There is nothing to sign up for.
To make a file small, this tool draws every page as a picture and builds a new PDF from those pictures. Page sizes are kept, but the text is no longer real text. It cannot be selected, copied or searched, and links, form fields and bookmarks are not carried over.
That makes it very effective on scans and documents full of photographs, which are already pictures. It makes little difference to a document that is mostly text, which can come out barely smaller or even larger. The tool warns you when the saving is tiny.
Gentle keeps the result readable in print. Balanced is the default and suits email. Smallest is for strict upload limits and will look softer, especially on small type, so look at the result before you send it.
If you need to keep selectable text, this is the wrong tool. Send fewer pages instead, using Split PDF, or compress the images in the document at their source. A PDF that is protected with a password cannot be compressed until the password is removed.