About this tool
Big PDFs are almost always big because of the pictures inside them: phone photos dropped into a report, or a scanner saving every page as a huge image. The recommended method finds those embedded photos, re-encodes them at a sensible quality and size, and leaves everything else untouched, so text stays crisp and selectable while the file shrinks, often by 60-90%.
For scans and other image-only PDFs, flattening every page to a modest-resolution image gives the smallest possible file at the cost of selectable text. The lossless rewrite tidies the file structure without changing any content and is safe for anything, but usually saves only a few percent.
Everything happens inside your browser. Your file is never uploaded to a server: the conversion runs on your own device using WebAssembly, and the result is downloaded straight from memory. Close the tab and nothing is left behind.
How to use it
- Drop your PDF files into the box above, or click to browse. Nothing is uploaded.
- Adjust the options if you want; the defaults suit most files.
- Click the button and wait a moment.
- Download the results individually or all at once as a ZIP.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my PDF barely shrink?
If the file contains mostly text and vector graphics it is already small, and there are no photos to recompress. Flattening will not help either; the file is simply as small as it gets.
Will the text still be searchable?
With the recommended and lossless methods, yes. Flattening turns each page into a picture, so text can no longer be selected or searched.
How do I get a PDF under an email or upload limit?
Start with the recommended method at quality 60 and a 1200 px image size. If it is still too large and the document is a scan, use flattening at 100 DPI.
Do password-protected PDFs work?
Not yet. Remove the password in your PDF viewer first, then use the tool.
Is there a page limit?
No. Very large documents simply take longer, since everything is processed on your device.
Is this really free?
Yes. The site is supported by ads, and there are no limits on how many files you convert.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. The converter runs entirely in your browser. Files stay on your device, which also makes it faster than upload-based converters for anything larger than a few megabytes.
Is there a file size limit?
The only limit is your device's memory. Images and audio of any normal size are fine; for video, files under about 500 MB work well on most laptops and phones.
Which browsers are supported?
Current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari on desktop and mobile. Very old browsers without WebAssembly support will not work.