Compress PDF
Compress PDF to reduce file size for email, WhatsApp and upload portals. Free, no limits, no sign-up – your PDF is compressed in your browser, never uploaded.
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- Options
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- ✓ 100% free
- ✓ No sign-up
- ✓ No limits
- 🔒 Files never leave your device
How to: Compress PDF
- Select the PDF you want to shrink.
- Choose lossless or strong compression.
- Click Start and download the smaller PDF.
Large PDFs are rejected by email (often 20–25 MB limits) and by many government, job and college portals that accept only 1–2 MB. FreePDF shrinks PDFs on your own device, so you can compress private documents without uploading them anywhere.
Common uses
- Make a scanned PDF small enough for an online form with a 1 MB or 2 MB limit.
- Send a large report by email or WhatsApp.
- Save storage space on your phone or cloud drive.
Tips for best results
- Try Lossless first – it keeps text selectable. Use Strong for scanned or photo-heavy files.
- For text-based PDFs that are already small, large savings may not be possible.
- Compress after merging, not before, to get one optimised file.
Why use FreePDF for Compress PDF?
| FreePDF | Typical upload-based sites | |
|---|---|---|
| Files uploaded to a server | No – processed on your device | Yes |
| Sign-up required | Never | Often for bigger jobs |
| Hourly / daily task limits | None | Common on free plans |
| Watermark on output | Never | Sometimes |
| Works offline after loading | Yes, for most tools | No |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the modes?
Lossless keeps text selectable and restructures the file. Strong turns each page into a compressed image for much smaller scanned or image-heavy files, but text is no longer selectable.
How much smaller will my PDF be?
It depends on the content. Scanned and image-heavy PDFs often shrink by 50–90% in Strong mode; text-only PDFs shrink less.
Can I compress a PDF to under 1 MB or 100 KB?
Often yes for scans using Strong mode. Very long documents may still be larger; splitting them can help.
Is Compress PDF really free?
Yes. Every tool on FreePDF is 100% free with no file limits, no sign-up and no watermarks. The site is supported by unobtrusive ads.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. FreePDF processes your files directly in your browser using JavaScript. Your documents never leave your device, so they stay completely private.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. FreePDF works in any modern browser on Android, iPhone, iPad, Windows, Mac and Linux.