Compress PDF
Shrink a PDF by re-encoding the images inside it at a lower quality or resolution. Useful for emailing scans, fitting under upload limits, or saving disk space — without sending a single byte to a third-party server.
How to compress a PDF
- Upload your PDF.
- Pick a quality level — start with Medium, then go lower if you need a smaller file.
- Click Compress. Your re-encoded PDF downloads automatically.
- Compare the file sizes — the original is untouched on your disk.
Why compress PDFs with QuickPDFKit?
- Private — sensitive scans (passports, IDs, contracts) never leave your browser.
- Adjustable — you choose the quality/size trade-off, not us.
- Text stays crisp — only the images are re-encoded, so typed text remains pixel-perfect.
- Free, unlimited — no credits, no “upgrade for larger files”.
Common uses
- Emailing a scanned passport or ID under a 5 MB attachment limit
- Shrinking a design portfolio for a job application portal
- Reducing storage costs on cloud drives
- Speeding up uploads on slow connections
- Making a 50 MB scanned book small enough to share over Slack
- Optimizing a PDF newsletter for faster mobile downloads
Frequently asked questions
How much smaller will my PDF get?
It depends on what's inside. A scan-heavy PDF often shrinks 50–80%; a text-only PDF may barely change because there are no images to re-encode.
Will text get blurry?
No. Compression only touches embedded images — typed text is left exactly as it was.
What if my PDF is already compressed?
You may see little or no further reduction. Try the lowest quality preset or split the PDF and re-export only the heavy pages.
Is the compression lossless?
No — image compression is lossy by design. Pick the highest quality preset that still hits your target file size.