Compress PDF Online Free - Reduce File Size Instantly

Cut your PDF file size in seconds - no sign-up, no watermark. All three compression levels run directly in your browser. Your PDF never leaves your device.

Drop your PDF to compress

Drag & drop or browse a file

PDF only  ·  Max 100 MB  ·  Compressed in your browser - never uploaded
Reading PDF…
- - pages
Choose Compression Level
Compressing your PDF
Processing pages…
0%

PDF Compressed!

Original Size
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→
Compressed Size
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-% smaller

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⚡ 3 Simple Steps

How to Compress a PDF File

1
Upload PDF
Select your PDF file. Works with all types of PDFs up to 100 MB.
2
Choose Level
Pick High Compression, Recommended, or Less Compression.
3
Download
Click Compress and download your smaller PDF file instantly.

Compress PDF Online - Free PDF Size Reducer

Our free PDF compressor reduces your PDF file size in seconds. Upload your PDF, choose a compression level, and download - all processed directly in your browser. Your file is never uploaded to any server.

Perfect for compressing PDFs before emailing, uploading to government portals, or sharing on WhatsApp and Telegram where file size limits apply.

Compress PDF Without Losing Quality

Three levels, three use cases:

  • Lossless - removes metadata & internal waste only. Zero visual change. Best for text-heavy PDFs.
  • Recommended - lossless + mild image optimisation. Looks identical at reading size. Best for most documents.
  • Maximum - smallest file possible. May reduce image sharpness slightly. Best for large scanned forms.

When to Compress PDF

  • PDF too large to email (Gmail, Outlook 25 MB limit)
  • Uploading to UPSC, SSC, IBPS, scholarship portals
  • Sharing on WhatsApp or Telegram (file size limits)
  • Reducing phone-camera scans (often 5-10 MB)
  • Reducing PDF size for website or job portal upload
  • Making PDFs faster to download on mobile data

Compress PDF for Indian Government Portals

Most Indian exam and scholarship portals enforce strict PDF size limits. Phone-camera scans often exceed these limits by 5-10x and get rejected silently.

Portal / Exam PDF Size Limit Recommended Level
UPSC CSE (certificates)200 KB per documentRecommended or Maximum
SSC CGL / CHSL100-200 KBMaximum
IBPS / Bank PO200-500 KBRecommended
NSP / UP Scholarship200 KBRecommended or Maximum
Railway (RRB)200-500 KBRecommended
College Admissions500 KB-1 MBLossless or Recommended

How to compress to 200 KB: Upload → select Recommended → download → check the size shown on screen. If still above 200 KB, compress again using Maximum.

Because all processing happens in your browser, your Aadhaar card, caste certificate, or marksheet is never sent to any server. This matters for sensitive government documents.

→ Compress Image (for photo/signature) → Resize Image (passport size)

Your PDF Stays on Your Device

Most online PDF tools upload your file to a remote server, process it there, and send it back. Your document passes through someone else's infrastructure - even if they claim to delete it afterwards.

This tool works differently. Compression runs entirely inside your browser using JavaScript and PDF.js. When you click Compress, your PDF is never transmitted to any server. It stays on your device the entire time.

Want to verify? Open your browser's Network tab before compressing - you will see zero file upload traffic.

This makes TinyWowTools the right choice for compressing sensitive documents - salary slips, legal agreements, medical records, and identity certificates - where files should not pass through third-party servers.

Compress PDF - Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about reducing PDF file size

Upload your PDF and select Recommended compression. Download and check the file size shown on screen. If still above 200KB, run Maximum compression. For most phone-camera scans, Maximum reduces a 2-5 MB PDF well under 200 KB - ready for UPSC, SSC, IBPS, and scholarship portal uploads.
It depends on the level. Lossless makes no visual change - it only removes internal metadata and redundant data. Recommended makes changes invisible at normal reading size. Maximum may slightly reduce image sharpness, which is usually acceptable for certificates and scanned forms. Text quality is always preserved on all levels.
Yes. Processing happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your PDF is never uploaded to any server. You can verify this yourself - open your browser's Network tab before compressing and you will see zero file upload traffic. Your Aadhaar, caste certificate, or marksheet never leaves your device.
A scanned or image-heavy PDF typically compresses 50-80% on Recommended. A text-only PDF may compress 10-30%. Results depend on how many images are inside the PDF and at what resolution they were captured.
No. Password-protected PDFs cannot be processed. Remove the password first using our Unlock PDF tool, then compress.
Our tool uses PDF.js to read your PDF and PDF-lib to re-encode images at the selected quality level. This significantly reduces image data, which is the main contributor to PDF file size. All processing happens in your browser - no server involved.
Files up to 100 MB are supported. For very large PDFs (50+ MB), compression may take a minute or two depending on page count and your device speed.
Yes. The tool runs entirely in your browser - no app download needed. Works on iPhone, Android, iPad, Mac, Windows, and Linux. Open your mobile browser and compress directly.
Currently one PDF at a time. After downloading, click "Compress another PDF" to process the next file.
Very text-heavy PDFs may not compress much below their original size - text is already stored efficiently in PDFs. If the PDF contains embedded fonts or complex vector graphics, try Maximum compression. For very strict limits (under 100 KB), you may need to split the PDF into smaller parts.

Related PDF & Image Tools

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Resize Image
Resize to passport or custom dimensions