PDF Tools
Reduce a PDF's file size in your browser. Light mode preserves text and vector content while repacking the file; Balanced and Strong can raster-compress scan-like pages, but switch to structure-preserving processing when extractable text or vector drawing is detected.
Simple workflow
How to use Compress PDF
- 1Drop or choose one PDF and review its original size and page count.
- 2Choose Light for content preservation, or Balanced/Strong for an image-heavy scan.
- 3Compress locally, compare the measured result, and download only when a smaller PDF is produced.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Why do some PDFs shrink more than others?
Scanned PDFs often contain large page images that can be re-encoded. Text-heavy PDFs may already use compact fonts, vectors and compressed streams, leaving little safe room to reduce size.
What happens to searchable text?
Light mode preserves document structure. Balanced and Strong flatten scan-like pages to JPG images, so those results are not searchable. If substantial text is detected, the tool uses structure-preserving optimization instead.
Can the result be larger?
An attempted re-encoding can be larger than an already efficient source. In that case the tool explains the result and does not present the larger file as a successful compression.
Is the PDF uploaded?
No. Inspection, rendering, re-encoding and PDF creation happen in this browser using local workers and libraries.
Practical guide
Reduce a PDF without pretending every file compresses equally
PDF size depends on what the document contains. Scanned pages are usually large images and can often shrink through lower-resolution JPG encoding. Text, vector drawings, fonts and already-compressed images may leave much less removable data.
Light mode repacks PDF objects while preserving page content. Balanced and Strong inspect the document before rasterizing scan-like pages. When extractable text or vector drawing is detected, UtilSprout protects it by using the structure-preserving path instead. A rasterized scan remains readable but no longer contains searchable text.
Worked example
Compress a scanned handout
- Start with
- A 12-page, 18 MB PDF made from phone photos.
- Choose
- Choose Balanced and select Compress PDF.
- You get
- The browser renders and re-encodes each page, then reports the measured size. If the new PDF is not smaller, it is not offered as a successful result.
Tips for a useful result
- Keep an original copy before using lossy scan compression.
- Use Light for contracts, forms and born-digital documents with selectable text.
- Strong can soften small print; inspect several pages at normal reading zoom.
Limits and privacy
Files are limited to 40 MB and 400 pages. Raster compression is limited to 40 pages and bounded canvas memory; longer or text-rich documents use structure-preserving optimization.
The PDF is read, rendered and rebuilt on your device. No file content is sent to UtilSprout, analytics or a third-party conversion API.
Keep going