Compress PDF
Reduce the size of your PDF while keeping the best possible quality. Processed locally in your browser.
Select or drop your file
PDF files — add several to process in one batch
Batch: up to 5 files at once · Premium for 100
Processed locally in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
A PDF gets heavy for one main reason: the images inside it. Compression re-encodes those images to a sensible resolution and quality so the file drops from tens of megabytes to something you can actually email — while text, which is already tiny, stays crisp. AXS PDF does this locally, so even a confidential file never leaves your browser to be shrunk.
How to compress pdf
- 1. Upload the PDF you want to make smaller.
- 2. Let the tool re-encode the images to a balanced size-versus-quality setting.
- 3. Download the compressed PDF and compare it against the original.
When to use Compress PDF
Beat an upload limit
Portals and email servers often reject files over 5 or 10 MB. Compress a scan-heavy document until it clears the cap.
Faster sharing and storage
A lighter PDF uploads quicker, downloads faster for the recipient and takes less space in your archive.
Photo-heavy documents
Brochures, portfolios and scanned reports full of images are where compression saves the most.
Why text-only PDFs barely shrink
If your PDF is mostly digital text, it's already close to as small as it can get — there's little for compression to remove, so don't be surprised by a modest reduction. The big wins come from documents built out of scanned pages or high-resolution photos, where the images carry almost all the weight.
Quality is a trade-off
Compression works by discarding image detail you're unlikely to notice on screen. For everyday sharing that's invisible; for print at large sizes or archival masters, keep the original alongside the compressed copy.
Frequently asked questions
How much smaller will my file get?
It depends entirely on the content. Scan- and photo-heavy PDFs often drop by 50–80%; documents that are mostly text may shrink only a little because text is already compact.
Will the text stay sharp?
Yes. Compression targets images; vector text is left alone and remains crisp at any zoom.
Can I compress a scanned document?
That's exactly where it helps most, since scans are essentially images. Expect a large reduction.
Is my file uploaded to a server to be compressed?
No. The whole process runs in your browser, so even sensitive documents stay on your device.