pdf-tools tool
Reduce PDF file size in your browser with two modes: fast metadata strip (lossless) or deep page re-render (40–80% smaller). See the before and after size. No upload, completely free.
Choose your compression mode: Metadata Strip for a fast, lossless reduction, or Re-render Pages for maximum file size savings. See the before and after size before downloading.
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or tap to browse · No upload · Files stay on your device
PDF Compressor reduces the file size of any PDF directly in your browser — no upload required. It offers two compression modes with different trade-offs, so you can choose the approach that fits your document and your goal.
Metadata Strip is the fast, lossless mode. It removes hidden data embedded in the PDF — author name, creation software, creation date, XMP metadata, and producer information — without touching any visible content. This typically achieves a 5–20% reduction in file size with zero impact on text sharpness, image quality, or document appearance.
Re-render Pages is the deep compression mode. It re-renders each PDF page onto a canvas using PDF.js and saves it as a JPEG image inside a new PDF document. This approach achieves 40–80% file size reduction and is most effective on scanned PDFs where pages are already stored as images. It is a lossy process — text may appear slightly softer at low quality settings, but at High quality (150 DPI) it remains clearly legible.
Three quality presets are available for Re-render mode. High (150 DPI, 88% JPEG quality) is recommended for documents that need to remain readable and presentable. Medium (100 DPI, 80% JPEG quality) is a good balance for sharing via email or messaging. Small (72 DPI, 70% JPEG quality) produces the maximum file size reduction and is suitable for web uploads or messaging apps with strict file size limits.
All processing happens entirely in your browser. Your PDF file is never transmitted to any server. The tool shows you the exact before and after file size — and the percentage saved — before you download, so you can decide whether the result meets your needs.
The right choice depends on whether your PDF contains scanned images or native vector text and graphics.
No. Both compression modes run entirely in your browser — Metadata Strip uses pdf-lib and Re-render uses PDF.js with the Canvas API. Your file is never transmitted to any server. You can confirm this by opening your browser's Network tab during compression — you will see zero upload requests.
Metadata Strip removes invisible embedded data (author, title, XMP, producer) without touching any visible content — it is lossless and instant. Re-render converts each page to a JPEG image and rebuilds the PDF from those images — it achieves much greater compression but is a lossy process that may soften text at lower quality settings.
PDFs that contain mostly vector text and graphics (created in Word, Excel, or design tools) can grow larger when re-rendered, because JPEG images are less efficient than vector data at storing clean lines and sharp text. For these PDFs, use Metadata Strip mode, which is lossless and almost always reduces the file size.
A typical scanned document at Medium quality (100 DPI) compresses to 40–65% of its original size. A scanned 10 MB PDF commonly compresses to 3–6 MB. Results vary based on the content, colour depth, and original scan resolution.
At High quality (150 DPI, 88% JPEG), text in most scanned documents remains clearly legible for both reading and printing. At Medium (100 DPI, 80% JPEG), text is still readable on screen but may appear slightly soft when printed at large sizes. At Small (72 DPI, 70% JPEG), text is legible on screen at normal zoom levels but is not suitable for printing.
Password-protected PDFs cannot be processed. The tool will display an error if it detects encryption. Remove the password protection first, then compress the file.
Try Metadata Strip first — if the result is under 10 MB, you're done. If the file is still too large, switch to Re-render at High quality. If that's still too large, try Medium. For scanned documents, Medium quality typically reduces a 30 MB file to under 10 MB.
Metadata Strip preserves searchable text because it does not modify page content. Re-render mode converts pages to JPEG images, which removes text searchability. The output of Re-render mode is an image-only PDF — search and copy/paste will not work on the text.
No enforced limit — the constraint is your device's available memory. Metadata Strip handles very large files quickly. Re-render mode processes each page individually, so very large PDFs (50 MB+) take longer but still complete without crashing.
Currently the tool processes one PDF at a time. To compress multiple PDFs, merge them first using the PDF Merge tool, then compress the merged file — or process each file separately. You can also use thePDF Merge tool
