Compress PDF Free

Choose lossless optimisation to keep everything selectable, or strong compression to shrink scanned documents dramatically. You'll see the new size before you download.

🗜️ Your PDF

Choose a PDF fileor drag and drop here — files never leave your device

Rebuilds the file with compressed object streams and drops unused objects. Text stays selectable and nothing is re-rendered.

✅ Result

🗜️Compress a PDF to see the saving.

Two levels of compression

Lossless mode rebuilds the file structure and removes unused objects — ideal for PDFs exported from Word or accounting software. Strong mode re-renders each page as an optimised JPEG at the resolution you choose, which can cut scanned documents by 70–90% but turns text into an image.

Hit portal upload limits

Government and visa portals, tender systems and email often cap uploads at 1–5 MB. Start with lossless; if the file is still too big, use strong mode and lower the quality until it fits.

📖 Read the full guide: How to Compress a PDF (Without Losing Quality Where It Matters)

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Are my PDFs uploaded to a server?

No. Every PDF tool on Pyalm runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript — your files are read, processed and saved on your own device and are never sent to us or anyone else. That makes them safe for contracts, invoices and ID documents.

Why did lossless mode barely change the size?

If a PDF is already well-optimised, or most of its size is high-resolution images, there is little structure to remove. Use strong compression to reduce image-heavy and scanned PDFs.

Will text still be selectable?

In lossless mode, yes. In strong mode each page becomes an image, so text can no longer be selected or searched. Keep your original for editing.

What quality setting should I use?

For documents meant to be read on screen, 110–150 DPI at 70% quality is usually sharp and small. Use higher settings if the file will be printed.