Compress PDF
Make a PDF small enough to email or upload. See the size before and after, and keep your original if compression doesn’t help.
- No upload
- Free, no sign-up
- Runs on your device
Drop a PDF to compress
or choose a file · Any PDF document
Stays on your device
How to use Compress PDF
- 1
Drop your PDF
Works best on PDFs with photos or scanned pages.
- 2
Pick a mode
Recompress images (light, balanced or strong), or Maximum for scans.
- 3
Download
Compare the sizes and save the smaller PDF.
Which mode should I use?
Recompress images is the right choice for most documents. It shrinks the JPEG photos and scans inside the PDF and leaves everything else alone, so text stays sharp and selectable and links keep working. Start with balanced, and try strong if you need a smaller file.
Maximum (scanned PDFs) turns every page into a compressed image. It gives the biggest savings for scanned documents, but the text can no longer be selected, copied or searched, so use it only when that doesn’t matter.
Why some PDFs don’t get much smaller
PDFs made mostly of text and vector graphics, such as documents exported from a word processor, are usually compact already and may not shrink much. The bulk of a large PDF is almost always photos or scanned pages.
If the compressed file isn’t smaller, GrabKit tells you and keeps your original. Removing pages you don’t need with Organize PDF can also help.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free to compress a PDF?
Yes, completely free. There is no sign-up, no watermark, no daily limit and no premium plan.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. GrabKit processes your file with code that runs inside your own browser. The file is never sent to a server, so nobody (including us) can see it. You can even disconnect from the internet after the page loads and the tool keeps working.
Will compressing make the text blurry?
Not in Recompress images mode: only the photos inside are compressed, and the text stays sharp and selectable. Maximum mode turns each page into an image, so the text can’t be selected or searched afterwards.
Which level should I choose?
Start with balanced. Light keeps images closer to the original, and strong makes smaller files with more visible compression in photos.
Why didn’t my PDF get smaller?
It’s probably made mostly of text and vector graphics, which are already compact. GrabKit shows the before and after sizes and keeps your original if the result isn’t smaller.
Can I compress a scanned PDF?
Yes. Scanned pages are images, so they usually have the most room to shrink. Try Recompress images first, and use Maximum if you need an even smaller file and don’t need to select the text.