Compress a PDF
Shrink scanned and photo-heavy PDFs for email and upload limits, without turning text into pictures.
Your PDF is processed in your browser and never uploaded.
How it works
- Choose a PDF.
- Pick a compression level.
- Click Compress PDF, check the new size, and download.
How this compressor works, and when it helps
Most of a large PDF's size is usually photos and scans stored at a higher resolution than any screen or printer needs. This tool finds the JPEG images inside the PDF, scales them down to a sensible size, and re-saves them at a lower quality, then rewrites the file compactly. Text, vector graphics, and links are untouched, so they stay sharp and searchable.
PDFs that are mostly text, or whose images use other formats, may not get much smaller. The tool tells you honestly how much it saved, and keeps the original when nothing was gained.
Related tools: Sign PDF · Edit & Fill PDF · Merge PDF · Split PDF · Organize PDF
FAQ
Does my data get uploaded or stored?
No. Processing runs entirely in your browser. Structura does not upload your files for processing and does not keep file contents on a server. Closing the tab clears the in-memory copy.
Is processing private / local-only?
Yes for the tool’s job. Your files stay on the device. Optional Cloudflare Web Analytics may record page views and anonymous events such as tool runs and downloads, never file contents or file names.
How do I reduce the size of a PDF?
Choose the PDF, pick Balanced or Strong, and click Compress PDF. Download the smaller file if the savings are worth it.
Will the text become blurry?
No. Only photos and scanned images are resampled. Text and drawings are not changed.
Why did my PDF barely shrink?
It probably contains mostly text or images in formats this tool does not recompress. Splitting it or removing pages may help more.
Do I need an account?
No. All Structura tools are free to use without signup.
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