Compress PDF
Reduce PDF file size while keeping text sharp and searchable. Pick a level or set an exact size in KB.
- Free
- No signup
- No watermark
- Works on any device
How to compress a PDF
- 1
Select your PDF
Click Select PDF file or drag the document onto the green box.
- 2
Choose a compression level
Recommended fits most files. Pick a specific size in KB if a form or portal has an upload limit.
- 3
Download the smaller file
The result shows the old size, the new size and how much you saved.
To compress a PDF, select your file, choose a compression level (Recommended suits most files) and click Compress PDF. PDFVerge shrinks the images inside the document and leaves text, fonts and links untouched, so the text stays selectable. If a website has an upload limit, choose “Compress to a specific size” and type the limit in KB.
Why compress PDFs with PDFVerge
Text stays searchable
Only the images inside your PDF are recompressed. Text, fonts, links and vector graphics are left exactly as they were, so you can still select, copy and search the document.
Compress to an exact size
Job portals, visa forms and email often cap files at 100 KB, 200 KB or 1 MB. Type the limit and PDFVerge works through each level until the file fits.
A mode for scanned documents
Scans are pictures of pages. The scanned-document mode flattens each page into one optimised image, which gets phone scans far smaller than standard compression.
Free, with no watermark
There is no account, no trial and no stamp on your file. Compress as many PDFs as you need.
How PDF compression works
Most of the weight in a large PDF comes from images: photos, scanned pages, screenshots and logos saved at far higher resolution than a screen or printer needs. PDFVerge finds every large image in the document, scales it to a sensible resolution and re-encodes it as an efficient JPEG. Everything else in the file is copied across untouched.
The three levels trade size against image quality. Low keeps images close to the original and is right for documents you will print. Recommended is tuned for sharing and on-screen reading. Extreme gives the smallest file and is fine for proofs, drafts and uploads where the reader only needs to recognise the content.
If a document is mostly text and already small, there may be nothing left to remove. In that case PDFVerge tells you and gives you back the original rather than a bigger copy.
The scanned-document mode turns each page into an image, so text can no longer be selected. Use it for scans and photos of paper, not for text documents you still need to search. Compress-to-size only uses it as a last resort, and tells you when it did.
Compress PDF questions
How do I compress a PDF without losing quality?
Choose the Low level. It keeps images close to their original quality and still removes wasted resolution. Text and vector graphics are never degraded at any level, because PDFVerge only recompresses images.
How do I compress a PDF to 100 KB or 200 KB?
Choose “Compress to a specific size (KB)”, type 100 or 200 and click Compress PDF. PDFVerge tries each level in turn and stops as soon as the file fits. Short documents usually fit; long colour documents may need to be split first.
Will my text still be selectable after compressing?
Yes, with the Low, Recommended and Extreme levels. Only the scanned-document mode turns pages into images, and the tool tells you whenever that happened.
Why didn't my PDF get smaller?
Files that are mostly text, or that were already optimised, have very little to remove. When the compressed copy would not be smaller, PDFVerge returns your original file instead.
Can I compress a PDF on my phone?
Yes. The tool works in Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox on Android and iPhone as well as on computers. There is no app to install.
Is PDF compression free?
Yes. There is no signup, no limit on the number of files and no watermark on the result.