CraftPDFCraftPDF
PDF tool

Compress PDF

Reduce a PDF's file size by re-encoding its embedded photos at a lower quality and resolution. Works best on scanned or photo-heavy PDFs.

Compression level

How it works

  1. 1Choose the PDF you want to shrink.
  2. 2Pick a compression level — Light, Recommended, or Strong.
  3. 3Click "Compress PDF" to download the smaller file.

Frequently asked questions

No — this tool only re-encodes embedded JPEG-style images. PDFs made mostly of text or vector graphics will shrink very little, since there’s no large image data to compress.

At the Recommended level, most photos and scans stay visually close to the original. Strong compression trades more visible quality for a smaller file — try Light first if quality matters most.

No — compression happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript.

If your PDF is mostly text, vector graphics, or already-compressed images, there is little large image data left to shrink — this tool targets embedded photos and scans specifically.

No — re-encoding images at a lower quality discards some image data permanently. Keep your original file if you might need full quality again later.

No — actual text content and fonts are left untouched. Only embedded raster images are re-encoded, so text stays sharp and selectable.

Recommended is a good default for most scans and photos. Use Light if you need to preserve fine detail for printing, or Strong when file size matters more than visual fidelity — for email attachment limits, for example.

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