Compress PDF
Shrink your PDF's file size. Pick a compression level and Pilcrow re-renders the pages to make the file smaller - all in your browser.
How to compress a PDF
- Add a PDF using the box above.
- Choose a level: High quality, Medium, or Maximum.
- Click Compress and download the smaller PDF.
Frequently asked questions
How does the compression work?
Pilcrow re-renders each page as an optimised image and rebuilds the PDF. This shrinks scanned and image-heavy PDFs a lot, but the text is no longer selectable.
Why didn't my PDF get smaller?
PDFs that are mostly plain text are already very compact, so re-rendering them can't reduce the size - Pilcrow checks and tells you when that happens.
Are my files uploaded?
No. Compression runs entirely in your browser and your PDF never leaves your device.