PDF Compress — what it does
Shrinks a PDF by re-encoding its pages as high-quality JPEGs, which is the reliable way to get a scan-heavy file under an upload limit. The trade is stated plainly: pages become images, so selectable text is replaced by the picture of it.
How to use PDF Compress
- Open or drop in the PDF — the tool reports the current file size.
- Choose the quality / scale you want to trade size against.
- Compress and read the before-and-after sizes before you decide.
- If the result is too soft, raise the quality and compress again from the same source file.
- Download the compressed PDF.
Worked example: a 14 MB scan set that must fit a 2 MB portal limit
A bank statement scan set is 14 MB and the portal accepts 2 MB. Re-encoding at a moderate quality usually lands it in the low single megabytes with text that is still easy to read on screen. If the document already has selectable text and you need to keep it selectable, do not use this tool — the alternative is to re-scan at a lower DPI.
At a glance
| Method | Pages re-encoded as high-quality JPEGs |
|---|---|
| Typical use | Getting scans under a portal's upload cap |
| Trade-off | Selectable text becomes part of the image |
| Where it runs | Your browser, on-device |
| Better alternative | For already-digital PDFs, re-saving from the source app often shrinks more without losing text |
Frequently asked questions
- What is PDF Compress?
- Shrink PDF file size by re-encoding pages as high-quality JPEGs.
- Is PDF Compress free to use?
- Yes — PDF Compress is free to use, with no sign-up, no install and no account.
- Does PDF Compress upload or store my data?
- No — PDF Compress runs entirely in your browser, so your text, files and results never leave your device.
- Do I need to install anything to use PDF Compress?
- No — it works in any modern browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari) with no downloads, accounts or plugins.
- Will compression make the text unreadable?
- At sensible quality settings, scanned text stays comfortable on a screen and usually on a print. The risk is a poor original: if the scan was faint to begin with, lower quality can push it past readable, so check the result before submitting.
- Can I compress without losing the ability to select text?
- Not with this tool, because it works by rasterising pages. For digital PDFs, use PDF Batch Tools to re-encode, or fix the source: images embedded at 600 DPI are the usual cause of a bloated file.