Optimize · 3 min read
How to Compress a PDF
Optimize PDF file structure without re-encoding text or images; size savings vary.
Quick steps
- Open Compress PDF. Go to pdfoncall.com/compress.
- Drop your PDF. Select your PDF. Practical limits depend on browser memory; the file stays on your device.
- Optimize. Click Compress & download to compact the PDF structure.
- Download. Check the downloaded PDF and its size. Already optimized files may not shrink.
Why compress?
Email attachment limits are often 10–25 MB. Upload forms and portals cap even lower. Compression makes PDFs practical to send.
Will it hurt quality?
The standard compressor does not re-encode text or images. It compacts object streams, so savings vary. For stronger compression, target a size; that tool rasterizes pages, which can affect quality and selectable text.
Best practices
- Try structural optimization first when preserving page content matters.
- Review page legibility and file size after downloading.
- OCR exports a separate TXT file; it does not make the compressed PDF searchable.
Related tools
- Repair PDF
- Split PDF to send only the pages you need
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