Reduce PDF file size without losing quality. Choose your compression level. No sign up.
No sign upNo watermarksFiles stay on your device
Compress PDF Free
Reduce PDF file size. Up to 5 files at once. No sign up.
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Drop your PDFs here
or click to browse · up to 5 PDF files
QualityImage DPI
Processing...
Original size—
Compressed size—
Reduction—
Done
How it works
01
Upload
Pick your PDF files. They load directly in your browser — nothing is uploaded anywhere.
02
Choose quality
Select a compression level: high quality, balanced, or maximum compression to suit your needs.
03
Compress
Pages are re-rendered at your chosen quality and DPI, then reassembled into a smaller PDF.
04
Download
Save your compressed files individually or download everything as a ZIP.
Common questions
How does PDF compression work?
Each page is rendered as an image at your chosen DPI and quality, then embedded back into a new PDF. This effectively strips unused objects, fonts, and metadata while compressing images — the main source of large file sizes in most PDFs.
Will my PDF lose quality?
It depends on the compression level. "High quality" mode at 300 DPI produces results that are visually identical to the original for most documents. "Maximum compression" at lower DPI will show some quality loss but produces the smallest files.
Are my files private?
Yes. PDFs are compressed entirely in your browser using JavaScript. No data is uploaded to any server.
Is there a file size limit?
No hard limit. Very large PDFs may take longer since your browser does all the processing.
Does this work on scanned PDFs?
Yes — scanned PDFs are essentially images inside a PDF wrapper, so compression is especially effective. You can often reduce scanned PDFs by 50–80%.
Can I compress multiple PDFs at once?
Yes, you can compress up to 5 PDFs at a time. Each file is compressed independently.
Compress PDF files online — free, no sign up
Large PDF files are a constant headache — too big to email, slow to upload, and taking up storage space. getpdfree compresses your PDFs entirely in your browser, with no file size limits, no watermarks and no account required.
Choose from three compression levels to balance file size and quality. The "Balanced" preset at 150 DPI works well for most documents, reducing file size by 40–70% while keeping text sharp and images clear. For documents you only need to view on screen, "Maximum compression" at 96 or 72 DPI can shrink files by 60–90%.
Common uses for compressing PDFs
Email attachments
Shrink PDFs below email size limits so you can send documents without file-sharing links.
Web uploads
Reduce file size for faster uploads to portals, forms, and content management systems.
Storage savings
Compress archived documents to free up local or cloud storage space.
Faster sharing
Smaller files transfer faster over slow connections and mobile networks.
How the compression works
The compressor renders each page of your PDF as an image using PDF.js, then rebuilds the document using pdf-lib. During this process, unused objects, embedded fonts, metadata, and redundant resources are stripped out. Images — which account for the majority of PDF file size — are re-encoded as JPEG at your chosen quality level and DPI.
This approach works especially well for scanned documents, photo-heavy PDFs, and files exported from design tools. For text-heavy documents with minimal graphics, the reduction may be more modest since text content is already compact.
Choosing the right settings
High quality (300 DPI) — Best for documents you'll print or zoom into. Minimal visible difference from the original.
Balanced (150 DPI) — Great for general use, email attachments, and on-screen viewing. Good compression with clear text.
Maximum compression (72–96 DPI) — Best for documents you only view on screen at normal zoom. Smallest file size.