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Compress a PDF to the exact size you need

To compress a PDF without uploading it: drop it here and choose Lossless, which optimizes the structure and keeps text selectable, or Exact size, which turns pages into images until the file fits the KB a portal asks for. It all happens in your browser and you download the result.

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About this tool

Job, government and university portals often set a cap: 500 KB, 1 MB, 2 MB. This tool has two modes, and it helps to know what each one does.

Lossless reorganizes the PDF's internal structure (object streams and repeated data) without touching the content. Text stays text. It saves little on an already optimized PDF and quite a lot on one produced by some programs; if it cannot reduce it, you get the original back.

Exact size first tries lossless. If that is not enough, it draws each page as an image and searches for the highest quality that fits the size you typed. It reaches almost any size, at a price: text is no longer selectable or searchable. Use it for sending, not for archiving.

How it works

  1. 01

    Drop the PDF.

  2. 02

    Choose Lossless, or Exact size and type the KB the portal asks for.

  3. 03

    Press Compress and compare the size before and after.

  4. 04

    Download the compressed PDF.

Questions

How can I check that my file is not uploaded?
Open your browser's developer tools (F12), Network tab, and process a file: no request carries your document. Or load the page, go offline and use it: it keeps working.
Why does Lossless barely shrink my PDF?
Because it was already optimized, or because the weight is images. In that case Exact size is what reduces it, at the cost of turning pages into images.
Is the text still selectable?
With Lossless, yes. With Exact size, when rasterizing is needed, no: each page becomes an image. The tool tells you which method it used.
What if it cannot reach the size I asked for?
You get the smallest file it managed while keeping pages legible, and a note that it did not reach the target.
Is it good for a résumé?
Yes. If the portal reads the PDF's text (some do, to filter), try Lossless first so it stays text.
Does it work with scanned PDFs?
Yes: a scan is already one image per page, and Exact size is exactly what shrinks it.

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