CodeKitHubWhat Is This Tool?
This tool reduces PDF file size by rendering every page as a JPEG image at a compression level you choose, then rebuilding those images into a new PDF. This is a genuinely reliable way to shrink large PDFs — especially ones full of high-resolution scans or photos — because you directly control the image quality trade-off, unlike some "optimizers" that only remove redundant internal structure and barely shrink image-heavy files.
The trade-off is explicit: since every page becomes a single image, any text that was previously selectable, copyable or searchable in the original PDF will no longer be selectable in the compressed output — you're looking at a picture of the page, not live text. This makes the tool a good fit for sharing or uploading size-limited files where visual fidelity matters more than editable text, and a poor fit if you need to keep text searchable or copyable.
Why Use It?
- Directly controls the size/quality trade-off with three compression levels, instead of a black-box "optimize" button.
- Works reliably on image-heavy PDFs (scans, photo-based documents) where structural-only optimizers barely help.
- Shows the before/after file size so you can see exactly how much you saved.
- Local and private — your PDF is never uploaded to any server.
- Free, no signup, no watermark.
How to Use
- Choose a compression level: low (larger file, better quality), medium, or high (smallest file, lower quality).
- Click the box or drag a PDF file onto it.
- Wait while each page is rendered and recompressed.
- Compare the before/after file size and download the result.
Example
Input
scan.pdf — 8.4 MB, 5 scanned pagesOutput
scan-compressed.pdf — 1.2 MB at medium compressionActual savings depend heavily on the original file's content — image-heavy scanned PDFs compress dramatically; PDFs that are already mostly plain vector text see smaller gains, since converting already-tiny text to an image can sometimes increase size at low compression settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the text in my compressed PDF no longer selectable?
Because this tool renders each page as an image and rebuilds the PDF from those images — it's the most reliable way to guarantee a size reduction, especially for scanned or image-heavy PDFs. The trade-off is that the output is a set of page images, not live text, so you can no longer select, copy or search the text. If you need to keep text searchable, don't use this tool — look for a PDF editor that recompresses embedded images without rasterizing the whole page.
Which compression level should I choose?
Start with Medium — it balances file size and visual quality for most documents. Use Low if the document needs to stay sharp (e.g. for printing or detailed diagrams) and you don't mind a larger file. Use High if you need the smallest possible file size and some visible quality loss is acceptable, such as for quick sharing or email attachment limits.
Why did my file get bigger instead of smaller?
This can happen with PDFs that were already small and mostly text-based — converting compact vector text into a rendered image, even a compressed one, sometimes takes more bytes than the original efficient text encoding. This tool is most effective on PDFs that are already image-heavy (scans, photos) rather than plain text documents.
Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
No. Every step — rendering pages, compressing images, and rebuilding the PDF — happens locally in your browser using JavaScript. Your file never leaves your device.
Will this preserve clickable links, form fields or bookmarks?
No. Since the output is built from rendered page images, interactive elements like hyperlinks, fillable form fields and bookmarks from the original PDF are not carried over to the compressed version.