Compress PDF
Shrink PDF size for easier sharing.
Drop a PDF file here
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Text stays sharp and selectable at every level. Runs entirely in your browser — your file never leaves your device.
Compress PDF runs entirely in your browser, so your PDF files never leave your device. Choose a PDF, make your changes, and save the result instantly — fast, free, and completely private.
How to compress pdf
- 1Upload the PDF you want to compress.
- 2Choose a compression preset — from light (best quality) to strong (smallest file).
- 3Click Compress and wait while the file is processed locally.
- 4Download the smaller PDF and compare the file sizes.
Use cases
- Shrink a large PDF to meet an email attachment size limit.
- Reduce a scanned document's size before uploading to a web form.
- Optimize a portfolio PDF for faster web loading.
Why use a browser-based compress pdf?
PDF compression is one of the most common reasons people upload sensitive documents to a stranger's server. A tax return, a medical record, a legal filing — all handed to a website just to make the file smaller. Once uploaded, you have no control over how long the copy is kept or who can access it.
LoveMyFile compresses PDFs entirely in your browser. Embedded images are re-rendered on a Canvas at a lower resolution, redundant font data is stripped, and the optimized PDF is assembled locally with pdf-lib. Your file never leaves your device.
The trade-off between size and quality is controlled by the compression preset. Light keeps images sharp enough for printing; Strong is ideal for email attachments where on-screen reading is the priority. You see the file size before and after, so you can pick the right balance.
Compress PDF vs desktop software
| Feature | LoveMyFile | Desktop software |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Paid |
| Install required | No | Yes |
| Files leave your device | Never | No |
| Adjustable quality | Yes (Light / Medium / Strong) | Yes |
| Live size preview | Yes | Sometimes |
| Works on any OS | Yes | Mac or Windows only |
Common issues and fixes
- The compressed PDF is not much smaller than the original.
- If the PDF is mostly text with no embedded images, there is little to compress. Try the Strong preset. If the PDF contains scanned images, compression will have a much bigger effect.
- Text is no longer selectable after compression.
- Aggressive presets rasterize pages (turn them into images) to shrink size. If you need selectable text, switch to the Light preset, which preserves the text layer.
- The compression is taking a long time.
- Large PDFs with many high-resolution images take longer because each image is re-rendered on a canvas. On mobile devices this can be slow — try splitting the PDF first, then compressing each part.
Technical details
- Compression works by re-rendering embedded images on a Canvas at reduced resolution.
- Light preset targets ~150 DPI; Strong targets ~72 DPI for on-screen reading.
- Font subsetting strips unused glyph data to reduce size further.
- Text-layer preservation depends on the preset: Light and Medium keep text selectable; Strong may rasterize.
- CMYK images are converted to RGB for compression, which also reduces size.
- Maximum file size: 1,000 MB. Processing happens in a Web Worker to keep the UI responsive.
100% Private
Your files are processed locally and never leave your device.
Free
No paywall, no premium tier, no hidden fees.
Unlimited
Use it as many times as you want — no daily caps.
No Watermarks
No sign-up, no branding, no watermark on your output.
Frequently asked questions
Will text remain selectable after compression?
In most cases yes. Some aggressive compression presets rasterize pages, which removes text selection — pick a lighter preset to keep text searchable and copyable.
How much can I expect the file size to shrink?
It depends on the content. PDFs with many high-resolution images can shrink 50–80%. Text-heavy PDFs with few images may only shrink 10–20% because there is less redundant data to remove.
Is the compression lossy or lossless?
Light and Medium presets are near-lossless — they re-render images at slightly lower resolution but keep the text layer intact. Strong is lossy: pages may be rasterized to achieve the smallest possible file.
Do I need to install anything to use these PDF tools?
No installation required. Every PDF tool is browser-native and runs on modern browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari) without plugins, extensions, or desktop apps.
Does this upload my file?
No. Your file stays on your device the whole time. LoveMyFile runs entirely in your browser, so nothing is uploaded to a server, queued in the cloud, or copied off your computer.
Is this free?
Yes. Every tool is free and unlimited — no account, no paywall, and no daily caps. Because the work happens locally in your browser, there are no per-file or per-page charges.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the page has loaded, the tools run entirely in your browser, so you can disconnect from the internet and keep working. AI-powered tools download a small model on first use and then also run offline.
