Why does the text stop being selectable?

The three image presets redraw each page as a picture, which is how the large savings are achieved. Choose lossless clean-up when searchable text matters more than size.

My file barely got smaller — why?

Text-only PDFs are already tiny and highly compressed; the savings come from images. If the file is mostly text, lossless clean-up is the honest maximum.

Will compressing twice help?

Rarely, and it degrades quality each time. Pick a lower preset on the original instead of re-compressing an output.

Are my files uploaded anywhere?

No. Every operation runs inside your browser tab using JavaScript and WebAssembly. Nothing is transmitted to MyToolyard or any third party, and nothing is stored after you close the tab.

Is there a file size or page limit?

There is no artificial limit — the practical ceiling is your device's memory. Files up to roughly 100MB are comfortable on a modern laptop; very large scanned documents are best processed in smaller batches.

Does it work on a phone or tablet?

Yes. The interface is fully responsive and touch-friendly. Very large documents will be slower on mobile because processing uses the device's own CPU and memory.

Compress PDF

Reduce PDF file size with a preset that matches how the document will actually be used — all inside your browser.

No training on your data
Region: global

Drop a PDF to compress

Click, drag or paste — compression runs on your device

PDF & DocumentsOptimise & Secure

Compress PDF — Overview

About this tool

What is Compress PDF?

Compress PDF reduces the file size of a PDF inside your browser so it fits an email limit, an upload form or a portal cap — without a subscription, a queue or an upload.

Three image presets re-render each page at a chosen resolution and JPEG quality: *screen* for chat and email, *ebook* for comfortable reading anywhere, and *print* when the document still has to come out of a printer cleanly.

A fourth option, *lossless clean-up*, rewrites the file structure with object streams and strips accumulated bloat while leaving text sharp and selectable. Exact before-and-after sizes are shown so you can decide whether the trade-off was worth it.

What it does

What does Compress PDF do?

Compress PDF gives you honest control over the size-versus-quality trade-off:

Four levels from aggressive screen compression to lossless clean-up
Grayscale conversion for scans and photo-heavy reports
Per-page progress so large documents never look frozen
Before and after file sizes with the percentage saved
Original page dimensions and orientation preserved exactly
Clear warning when a file is already optimised and cannot shrink further

How to use

How to use Compress PDF

1
Drop the PDF
Add the file that is too large. Nothing is uploaded — it is read straight into your browser's memory.
2
Pick a level
Match the preset to how the document will be used, and tick grayscale if it is a colour scan you only need to read.
3
Compress and download
Watch the per-page progress, then check the reported saving. Try a lower level if you need more.

Good to know

Privacy & cost

This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, logged, or saved on our servers — safe for confidential or proprietary data.

Use cases & scenarios

Where it fits

Beating an email attachment limit

A 40MB scanned contract drops to a few megabytes at the ebook preset, which is usually enough for a 10MB or 25MB cap.

Government and job portals

Upload forms often cap PDFs at 2MB. Screen preset plus grayscale reliably gets scanned certificates under the limit.

Archiving old scans

Grayscale at 110 DPI keeps documents perfectly readable while cutting long-term storage dramatically.

Value & benefits

Why people pick this tool

✓Free forever — no page caps, watermarks, sign-ups or premium tier
✓100% in-browser processing — your documents never touch a server
✓Works offline once the page has loaded, ideal for confidential files
✓No queues or waiting rooms — the work happens at the speed of your device

Frequently asked questions

FAQs

Final thoughts

The bottom line

Compression is the classic bait for a paid plan, yet the maths runs perfectly well on your own device. Doing it locally means unlimited files, no watermarks, and confidential documents that never leave your machine.

More ways to edit a PDF

Merge, split, compress, protect and sign PDFs privately in your browser.