Question 1

What does the Compress PDF tool do?

Accepted Answer

It re-encodes the images embedded inside your PDF to reduce their file size, shrinking the overall PDF without needing any other software. It's most effective on PDFs that are large mainly because of embedded photos or scanned pages.

Question 2

Is my PDF uploaded to a server to be compressed?

Accepted Answer

No, the re-encoding happens entirely in your browser, so the file stays on your device throughout the process.

Question 3

Will compressing my PDF reduce quality, or lose any text?

Accepted Answer

The compression works by re-encoding the internal images, so there's typically some loss of image quality similar to saving a JPG at a lower quality setting, but the actual text content of the PDF is untouched. A PDF that's mostly text with few or no images won't shrink much since there isn't much image data to re-encode.

Question 4

Why doesn't my PDF get smaller after compressing it?

Accepted Answer

If the PDF is largely made up of text, vector graphics, or images that are already heavily compressed, there's limited room to shrink further since this tool specifically targets embedded raster images.

Question 5

Do I need an account, and is there a cost?

Accepted Answer

No, Compress PDF is free to use and doesn't require an account.

Frequently asked questions about Compress PDF

What does the Compress PDF tool do?

Is my PDF uploaded to a server to be compressed?

Will compressing my PDF reduce quality, or lose any text?

Why doesn't my PDF get smaller after compressing it?

Do I need an account, and is there a cost?