The PDF barely got smaller. Why?

Only photos shrink. A PDF that is mostly text and shapes, or whose photos are already small, hardly changes. If the saving is under 2%, no file is made and you see “This PDF is already light”. If the PDF has photos, you can try Strong.

Does the text get blurry?

No. Text and shapes are not changed. Only the photos are recompressed, so they can lose a little quality.

Does it change my original PDF?

No. The smaller PDF is saved as a new file, and the original stays as it is.

Compress · Pegmo

Compress PDF

Drop a file here

Re-compress the photos inside a PDF to make it smaller. Text and vector shapes stay as they are. Your files stay on your device.

PDF

How to use Compress

What it does

Recompresses the photos inside a PDF to make the file smaller. Text and vector shapes are left as they are; only the photos shrink. It is useful before you email a PDF that has a lot of photos.

Step by step

Drop a PDF onto the screen, or click to choose one.
Under “Compression”, pick Light, Normal or Strong. It starts on Normal.
Click “Compress”.
Check the new size, then click “Save”. The file name is the original name with “-compressed” added.

Good to know

Light brings photos down to 200 dpi at 85% quality. Normal is 150 dpi at 70%, and Strong is 100 dpi at 50%. The stronger the setting, the smaller the file, but photos can look rough.
Text and shapes do not shrink. If the PDF has no photos, or they are a small part of it, the size may barely change. The “File” tab shows how many photos there are and what share of the file they take.
Photos with transparent areas, or that use CMYK colour, are left untouched.
A PDF that is password-protected or damaged cannot be opened. The file is processed in your browser and is not uploaded to a server.

Frequently asked questions

The PDF barely got smaller. Why?: Only photos shrink. A PDF that is mostly text and shapes, or whose photos are already small, hardly changes. If the saving is under 2%, no file is made and you see “This PDF is already light”. If the PDF has photos, you can try Strong.
Does the text get blurry?: No. Text and shapes are not changed. Only the photos are recompressed, so they can lose a little quality.
Does it change my original PDF?: No. The smaller PDF is saved as a new file, and the original stays as it is.