Compress PDF free, without leaving the browser.

Is the PDF text still selectable and searchable after compressing?

No. The tool draws every page as an image and rebuilds the PDF from those images. That is how it manages to shrink scans and photo heavy PDFs so much, but the consequence is direct: once compressed, the file no longer carries a text layer. You cannot select a sentence, copy it, or search for a word with Ctrl+F. If the document needs to stay searchable or editable, do that before compressing and keep the original stored separately.

Why did my PDF not get smaller after compressing?

Because this tool's compression works on images, and a PDF that is already mostly text (a contract written directly in Word and exported to PDF, for example) is already light to begin with. Compressing that kind of file gives little or no gain, and the tool itself warns when this happens. Where compression really pays off is scans, photo based PDFs and image heavy documents, where the reduction usually goes past 50%.

Which compression level should I choose: light, medium or strong?

Light keeps more visual quality, for documents where a sharp image matters, such as a contract with stamps or a technical drawing. Medium is the everyday balance. Strong gives the smallest file, at the cost of more quality loss in the images, and is the right choice when the goal is simply fitting under a size limit, for example an email attachment or an application form that only accepts a few megabytes.

Are my files sent to any server when I compress here?

No. All processing runs in JavaScript inside your browser: the file is never uploaded anywhere. This is not exclusive to this tool, there are other options that also process locally, some of them free. The difference here is the whole package: twelve PDF tools, one low fixed price for the eleven that are not free, no account required to try it, and it keeps working even without an internet connection once the page has loaded.

What is compressing a PDF actually useful for?

The most common case is fitting under the size limit of an email attachment or an online application or submission form, which usually reject files above a few megabytes. It is also useful for keeping scanned invoices and contracts from taking up too much space on your computer or in the cloud.

How many times can I compress a PDF for free per day?

Five compressions a day, up to 10 MB per file, no account required. The count resets the next day. Anyone who needs to compress more often per day, or files above 10 MB, has that option in the Premium subscription, which also unlocks the other eleven tools for 1.99 EUR per month.