# Compress PDF

> Reduce PDF file size by re-rendering pages at a lower resolution and quality.

To compress a PDF, add the file and lower the quality and resolution sliders. Each page is re-rendered as a JPEG image and rebuilt into a new PDF, which shrinks scan-heavy documents substantially. Note that this converts text into images.

**URL:** https://convertto.tech/t/compress-pdf
**Category:** PDF Tools (https://convertto.tech/c/pdf-tools)
**Privacy:** Runs entirely in the browser; no upload
**Cost:** Free, no sign-up
**Last updated:** 2026-08-01

## Key facts

- **Method:** Pages re-rendered as JPEG images
- **Trade-off:** Text becomes non-selectable and non-searchable
- **Privacy:** Runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded
- **Cost:** Free, unlimited, no sign-up

## How to use

1. Select your pdf file — the file stays on your device and is never uploaded.
2. Set the jpeg quality.
3. Set the resolution.
4. Press Run, then download the result when it is ready.

## FAQ

### Will my text still be selectable afterwards?

No. This method rasterises each page, so the text layer is lost and the result is not searchable. It is the right tool for scanned or image-heavy PDFs, and the wrong one for text documents you need to search.

### Why did my file get bigger?

A text-only PDF is already very compact — far smaller than page images. If the output grew, your document is text-based and does not need this tool.

## Related tools

- [Image to PDF Converter](https://convertto.tech/t/images-to-pdf): Combine JPG, PNG or WebP images into a single PDF document.
- [PDF to Image Converter](https://convertto.tech/t/pdf-to-images): Convert PDF pages into PNG or JPG images at any resolution.
- [PDF to JPG Converter](https://convertto.tech/t/pdf-to-jpg): Convert PDF pages into JPG images at any resolution, in your browser.
- [Add Page Numbers to PDF](https://convertto.tech/t/add-page-numbers-pdf): Number the pages of a PDF with a custom start, position and format.
- [Delete PDF Pages](https://convertto.tech/t/delete-pdf-pages): Remove unwanted pages from a PDF and keep everything else intact.
- [Merge PDF](https://convertto.tech/t/merge-pdf): Combine several PDF files into one document, in your browser and without uploading.
- [PDF Metadata Viewer](https://convertto.tech/t/pdf-metadata-viewer): Inspect a PDF's title, author, producer, creation date and page dimensions.
- [PDF Page Organiser](https://convertto.tech/t/pdf-page-organiser): See every page as a thumbnail, then drag to reorder, rotate and remove pages before saving.