Compress PDF

Shrink a PDF's file size for easy sharing and uploads. Free, fast, and your files never leave your device.

Drag & drop a PDF here

or click to choose a PDF

Document

How this works: each page is re-rendered as a compressed image and rebuilt into a new PDF. This is the only compression approach a browser can do reliably, and it works best for scanned documents or PDFs made of photos. The trade-off: text in the output is no longer selectable or searchable — it becomes part of the image. If you need to keep selectable text, don't compress the file this way.

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Original size

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Compressed size

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Saved

How to Compress a PDF

Drag your PDF onto the drop zone, or click to browse for it.
Pick a preset: High Quality for the best look, Balanced for everyday use, or Extreme for the smallest possible file.
Click Compress PDF and wait while each page is re-rendered and rebuilt.
Check the before/after size comparison, then your compressed PDF downloads automatically.

Why use ZillaKit's Compress PDF tool?

Real, honest PDF compression in a browser only has one reliable path: re-render every page as an image at a lower resolution and quality, then rebuild the document. That's exactly what this tool does, using pdf.js to render each page to a canvas and pdf-lib to assemble the compressed pages into a new PDF — all locally, so your document is never uploaded anywhere. This approach shines for scanned paperwork, photo-heavy PDFs, and anything you mainly need to view or share rather than edit, and it's the most effective way to hit a much smaller file size when a PDF is dominated by high-resolution images. Being upfront about the trade-off matters: because pages become images, any text in the original is no longer selectable, searchable, or copyable in the output. If your PDF is mostly text and you need to keep it searchable, compression by re-rendering isn't the right tool. Three presets make the choice simple — High Quality favors clarity, Balanced suits everyday sharing and email attachments, and Extreme prioritizes the smallest possible file for quick uploads. You'll see the exact before-and-after size before you download, so there are no surprises. There's no signup and no watermark, and five free compressions are included every day.

FAQ

Is my PDF uploaded to compress it?

No. Rendering and rebuilding both happen locally in your browser. Your file never leaves your device and nothing is sent to a server.

Will the text in my PDF still be selectable?

No. Compression works by turning each page into a compressed image, so the output PDF is image-based and its text can no longer be selected, searched, or copied. This tool is best for scanned documents or files you mainly need to view and share.

Which preset should I use?

Choose High Quality if clarity matters most, Balanced for typical sharing and email attachments, or Extreme when you need the smallest possible file and can accept lower image quality.

Why doesn't the file always get smaller?

If your original PDF is already mostly text with light formatting, re-rendering pages as images can sometimes produce a similar or larger file. This method works best on PDFs that are large because of high-resolution scans or photos.