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Compress PDF
Shrink a scanned PDF by rebuilding its pages as images — with the tradeoff stated up front.
Compress PDF: TOEA renders each page and rebuilds the document from those images at the original page size, which removes the overhead a scan carries while keeping it printable. Runs 100% locally in your browser with zero server file uploads.
- Category
- PDF tools
- Runs
- In your browser
- Cost
- Free · no sign-up
- Availability
- Ready to use
Runs entirely in your browser
PDF · up to 60 MB, nothing uploaded
Everything becomes part of the picture
The rebuilt file contains one image per page and nothing else. Links stop working, bookmarks and the outline disappear, form fields turn into a picture of whatever they showed, and comments are either drawn into the page or lost. The document information fields are not carried across either.
That makes this the wrong step for a form someone still has to fill in, and a reasonable last step for a finished, signed scan that only has to be read or printed.
Compressing only the scanned pages
Many documents mix typed pages with a few scanned ones, such as a report with signed pages or receipts at the back. Compressing the whole file turns the typed pages into images too, and often makes them larger. Instead, split the scanned pages into their own file, compress that, and merge it back with the rest in the original order.
If the target is an email attachment limit, Gmail's is 25 MB; larger attachments are sent as a Drive link instead.
How to use it
- Choose a PDF.
- Pick a resolution and quality.
- Compress and compare the result before keeping it.
Privacy & limitations
The file is opened and rewritten in your browser and never uploaded, which is the point when the document is a contract, a scan, or anything else you would not hand to a stranger. Text becomes a picture of text, so selection, search, and screen-reader access are lost. Keep the original.
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Frequently asked questions
Will this shrink any PDF?
No, and it says so after running. Scans shrink a great deal because their pages are already photographs. A text document usually gets larger, because text is far cheaper to store than a picture of text.
Why does text stop being selectable?
Every page is replaced by an image of itself. That is what removes the bulk, and it is also why searching, copying, and screen readers stop working.
What settings should I use?
150 DPI at balanced quality suits most scans. Drop to 96 DPI for something only read on screen; raise to 300 if it will be printed.
Is there a way to compress without losing the text?
Yes, but it needs re-encoding the image streams inside the file while leaving the text alone, which a browser cannot do today. Use a desktop tool if the text matters.
Free tool · runs in your browser · no account required