PDF Compressor
Reduce PDF size with safe cleanup or scanned-document compression
About this tool
PDF Compressor offers two honest workflows. Safe cleanup removes metadata and enables object-stream compression while preserving the existing text, vectors, forms, and links as far as the PDF structure allows. Scanned-document mode renders each page to a JPEG-based PDF and can optionally use grayscale, which is often much smaller for image-only scans. Because rasterization changes the document, the interface warns that selectable text, forms, annotations, links, and accessibility tags are not preserved. Files stay in the browser and the output size is shown before download.
Scenario Recipes
Shrink a scanned PDF before email handoff
Goal: Create a smaller review copy of an image-only document without hiding the tradeoff of rasterization.
- Keep the original PDF, then choose Scanned PDF mode for an image-only scan.
- Start with balanced rendering and moderate JPEG quality; enable grayscale only for monochrome pages.
- Compare the size and inspect several pages before sharing the compressed copy.
Result: The handoff file is smaller, with the loss of text layers, forms, and links clearly understood.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which compression mode should I choose?
Use Safe cleanup for ordinary digital PDFs where text and forms matter. Use Scanned PDF for image-only scans when a smaller file is more important than editability.
Will safe cleanup always make a PDF much smaller?
No. It does not recompress every embedded photo. Image-heavy documents may shrink only slightly, while metadata-heavy or structurally unoptimized files can improve more.
Does scanned mode keep selectable text?
No. It rasterizes each page into an image-based PDF, so the original text layer is not retained.
Are my PDFs uploaded?
No. PDF parsing, rendering, and output generation happen in the browser.
Can I use grayscale for color documents?
Yes, but color information will be removed. Preview the result and keep the original if color is meaningful.
What if the PDF is encrypted?
The browser may reject encrypted or permission-restricted files. Unlock the document with authorization before processing.
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