Compress PDF
Local Processing (Offline Capable)Compress PDF files in your browser — light lossless, recommended, and extreme tiers, plus a target-size mode with real-time stats on size and savings (local and free, no upload for files up to 10MB); larger files can use the Pro cloud path (sign-in required).
How this tool works (no sign-up needed)
- Upload your file above. Each tool shows whether it runs Local (in your browser) or Cloud (encrypted servers).
- Adjust options, then click the Run / Convert / Process button.
- Wait for progress, then download the result. Use Next tools to continue.
If buttons are not visible, enable JavaScript — the interactive workspace loads in your browser.
Free · Local processingFiles are not uploaded — compression runs in your browser
Supports application/pdf
Compression rewrites the PDF structure — results vary by file. Scanned PDFs compress by image quality only.
Pro · Process in cloud
Pro large-file compression · Sign in with Pro required
What is it?PDF Compressor is a PDFLean optimization tool: Compress small PDFs locally by rebuilding pages with object streams to trim incremental update redundancy while keeping text layers intact.
TL;DR: Compress small PDFs locally by rebuilding pages with object streams to trim incremental update redundancy while keeping text layers intact. Files up to 10MB run entirely in your browser — your file is never uploaded and closing the tab clears everything; larger files can use the Pro cloud path (sign-in required, results auto-deleted after 24 hours).
Measured: ~27 ms median on a typical sample — full benchmark table below.
This tool reduces the file size of a PDF by recompressing embedded images and streamlining internal objects. Processing runs entirely in your browser — the file is not uploaded, and no account is required. The output is a smaller PDF with the same pages and the same layout, ready for email attachments or web hosting. Key limitation: only PDFs up to 10 MB are supported, since the entire operation runs inline in your browser; larger files can use the Pro cloud path on the page (encrypted upload, sign-in required, results auto-deleted after 24 hours).
About this tool
This tool does one job: compress PDFs up to 10MB entirely on your device, with larger files routed to the Pro cloud path. Compress small PDFs locally by rebuilding pages with object streams to trim incremental update redundancy while keeping text layers intact. Files up to 10MB run locally in your browser's memory — nothing is transmitted, and closing the tab clears it completely; larger files can use the Pro cloud path (encrypted upload, sign-in required, results auto-deleted after 24 hours). The workflow is deliberately short: load the file, choose the options on the page, run the operation, and save the result. Every choice is applied before the file is written, so re-running with different settings takes seconds. Practical limits apply (files up to 10MB), and it pairs well with the related tools linked beside this page when one step is not the whole job. Key facts — Processing: files up to 10MB run entirely in your browser, client-side; larger files use the Pro cloud path; Access: local compression is free with no account required; Pro cloud needs sign-in; File limits: files up to 10MB locally; Privacy: local compression never leaves the device; Pro cloud uploads over an encrypted channel with 24-hour auto-deletion. Measured on the exact production pipeline: a 60-page text report (160 KB, legacy no-object-stream form common in office PDFs) rebuilt to 158 KB (−1%) at a 27 ms median; already-optimized modern PDFs see ≈0% — image-heavy files differ.
Measured performance benchmarks
| Sample | Input | Output | Median time | Size change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60-page text report (legacy, no object streams) | 160 KB | 158 KB | 27 ms | −1% |
| 60-page text report (modern object streams) | 158 KB | 158 KB | 23 ms | +0% |
Measured locally in your browser (isomorphic production code; samples are programmatically generated text PDFs, median of 5 runs). Real-world image-heavy PDFs differ — see the on-page limits.
How to use
Upload the PDF you want to compress
Choose a compression level: light (lossless), recommended, or extreme
Click "Compress PDF" and compare before/after sizes
Download the compressed file
Watch: compress a PDF online in 77 seconds
Turn a large PDF into one that is easier to share and upload — free, right in your browser. The video player loads only after you press play.
FAQ
Will my file be uploaded?
No — files up to 10MB are compressed entirely in your browser, nothing is uploaded, and closing the tab clears everything. Larger files use the Pro cloud path: uploaded over an encrypted connection, results auto-deleted after 24 hours (instant shred anytime), sign-in required.
Are there any limits?
Only small PDFs up to 10MB are supported locally; larger files can use the cloud channel.
Will compression reduce the quality?
The light level performs lossless structural optimization with unchanged sharpness; the recommended and extreme levels re-encode pages into images (extreme converts to grayscale) to reduce size while keeping text readable.
Can I process multiple files in bulk?
A single tool page handles one task at a time; for bulk work use the Batch Processing workflow and add this tool as a step to run a whole set at once.
Is the processed file still editable?
The light level retains the original text layer for searching and copying; recommended and extreme levels rasterize pages into images. The original file remains untouched.
How do I compress a PDF without uploading it?
For PDFs up to 10MB, this tool does it — object streams are rebuilt in your browser's memory and nothing is uploaded. Larger files need the cloud path (sign-in required, results auto-deleted after 24 hours); the guide explains how to verify no upload happens and when the cloud path is the right call.
Read the guide: Compress a PDF Without Uploading ItEmbed this tool
Embed this tool on any website for free. Files are processed entirely in each visitor's browser — nothing is ever uploaded to any server.
<iframe src="https://pdflean.com/embed/pdf-compressor?lang=en" width="100%" height="720" data-pdflean-tool="pdf-compressor" style="border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:12px" loading="lazy" title="Compress PDF — PDFLean"></iframe>