How to compress a PDF
Follow these easy steps to learn how to make a PDF smaller:
- Click the Select a file button above, or drag and drop files into the drop zone.
- Select the PDF file you want to make smaller.
- Select the compression level you would like to apply to your document.
- After uploading, Acrobat will automatically reduce the file size.
- Download your compressed PDF file or sign in to share it.
Try our free PDF compressor tool
Compress a PDF for easier file sharing
Reduce your PDF file size for free with Acrobat when you need to share or store a smaller file. Upload your file or attach it to an email without worrying about size limits. You can also save your file without using up storage space.
Download a compressed PDF with no hidden fees
With the online PDF compression tool, you can download a compressed PDF without sharing any personal information. Your file is deleted from Adobe servers, and the content of your file is only accessible to you.
Big file? No biggie: compress files up to 2GB
Adobe's PDF compressor can handle files up to 2GB, so you can reduce the size of those large PDFs. Save storage and share with ease when you create a smaller version of your big file.
Choose a compression level for an optimized PDF
When you compress a PDF, the file undergoes space-saving steps like reducing image resolution, flatting interactive layers, and removing unused metadata. You can choose between High, Medium, and Low compression level in Acrobat's online tool, balancing your needs for quality and size.
Do it all with Acrobat
After compressing your PDF, you can create a free Acrobat account to take additional steps. Convert PDFs to other file formats, merge and split files, and fill and sign documents - all with Adobe Acrobat.
Adobe: PDF compression you can trust
As the creators of the PDF, Adobe continues to innovate with high-quality PDF tools. Compress your PDFs with confidence when you use Adobe Acrobat.
Compress PDF FAQs
The Acrobat online PDF compressor balances an optimized file size against the expected quality of images, fonts, and other file content. Just drag and drop a PDF into the tool above and let Acrobat compress the file without compromising quality.
For more refined control of optimization settings, you can start an Adobe Acrobat Pro 7-day free trial. Acrobat Pro lets you customize PPI settings for color, grayscale, and monochrome image quality. You can also use PDF editor tools, edit scans with OCR functionality, convert PDFs to Microsoft PowerPoint and other file formats, convert PNGs and other image file formats, organize and rotate PDF pages, split PDFs, optimize PDFs, and more. You can use Acrobat on any device, including iPhones, and on any operating system, including Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, or Android.
While you can use the same process on any device or computer, keep in mind that the interface may look slightly different on each as you complete the following steps.
- Use the Acrobat online tool above
- Click or tap on the “Select a file” button.
- Choose the file from your device or from a cloud service like Google Drive. It must be no larger than 2GB.
- Your file will upload and compress.
Download it or sign in to share it with someone else.
Now that your file is a more reasonable size, it will be much easier to work with — plus, you’ll have more free space on your computer or device. For even more options on how to manage compression, combine PDF files, plus many other functions, explore everything you can do with Acrobat online services and a free PDF editor.
You can also use Adobe Acrobat Pro on your PC to compress several PDFs without having to get online. Just follow these steps:
- Launch Acrobat Pro and open the Optimize PDF tool.
- Locate your PDF and click Open.
- Click the Reduce File Size button on the top menu.
- Select the compatibility option you want and click OK.
- Rename your file (if necessary) and click Save.
Compress PDF resources
Content as a Service v3 - compress-pdf - Friday, February 21, 2025 at 14:14
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