Compress a PDF down to a size you can send
Two strategies: a lossless rebuild that keeps text selectable, or a stronger re-render that produces a much smaller file.
How it works
Choose your PDF
The page count is detected automatically.
Pick a strategy
Rebuild keeps text searchable; re-render gives the smallest file.
Tune the resolution
Lower DPI means a smaller file and softer images.
The document is read locally
A PDF often carries more than its pages — names, contract terms, bank details. Here the document is opened by your browser, changed in place, and saved back to you. There is no upload step, so there is no copy anywhere else.
- Opened from your disk by your browser — not sent anywhere first.
- Held in the tab while the tool works, then dropped.
- Saved to your device by your browser, not by a link to a server.
- Closing the tab clears the working copy completely.
- No account, so nothing is ever attached to an identity.
- No tracking of what you worked on or what was inside the file.
There is no queue, no waiting room and no retention policy to read. The document is released the moment the tab closes. The how it works page explains why nothing leaves your device, and our verification guide shows how to check with your network off.
What people use it for
Getting a document through a submission portal
Portals often cap uploads. A smaller file passes the check without losing the text.
Sharing one section of a long document
Nobody needs all two hundred pages when they asked for the summary. Send only what was requested.
Getting paperwork through email
Mail servers reject large attachments outright. A smaller document avoids the bounced message.
Preparing a document for print
Printers and copy shops accept a clean, correctly sized file far more readily than a folder of images.
Formats & limits
What this tool accepts, what it produces, and what it will never ask you for.
- Input
- One PDF, or several for a single ZIP
- Output
- A smaller PDF
- Maximum file size
- Set by your device, not by a plan
- Files per run
- Several at once
- Sign-up required
- None
- Watermark
- Never added
- Works offline
- Yes, once the page has loaded
- Supported browsers
- Any current Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari
When something goes wrong
Encrypted and damaged documents stop with a plain message rather than a spinner that never finishes. If a PDF opens in your reader it will normally open here.
The file is either encrypted or damaged. Remove the password first, then try again.
Why not an upload site
An upload-based PDF tool sends the whole document to a server, does the work there, and sends it back. Removing that round trip removes the waiting, the caps and the copy.
A typical upload site
This tool
Questions
What is the difference between the two strategies?
Rebuild re-saves the document structure without touching the content, so text remains selectable and quality is unchanged, but the saving is modest. Re-render draws each page as an image, which can shrink a file dramatically but makes the text no longer selectable.
How much smaller will my PDF get?
It depends entirely on what is inside. Scanned documents made of large images can shrink by 70 percent or more with re-render. A PDF that is mostly text may barely change, because it is already efficient.
What DPI should I choose?
110 DPI is a good balance for on-screen reading. Use 150 DPI if the document will be printed, and 72 DPI for a preview copy that only needs to be legible on screen.
Is there a file size limit?
No fixed limit is imposed by the tool. The practical ceiling is how much memory your device has free, because the whole job runs inside this browser tab.
Does it work without an internet connection?
Yes, once the page has loaded. Nothing is fetched while you work, so a dropped connection does not interrupt a run.
Do I need an account or an email address?
No. There is nothing to sign up for, and nothing is ever attached to an identity because no file leaves your device.
Compared with the alternatives
If a PDF tool has asked you to sign up, wait in a queue or stay under a size ceiling, here is a Smallpdf alternative that runs in your browser.