Question 1

Why is my PDF file so large?

Accepted Answer

Photos, screenshots, and scanned pages are the usual cause. A text contract can stay under a megabyte. The same page count as a phone scan can reach tens of megabytes. Extra blank pages and full-size exports add more. This tool shrinks image-heavy files. It cannot delete pages you no longer need.

Question 2

How do I compress a scanned PDF?

Accepted Answer

Treat it as pictures of pages. Lower the quality slider and read the size estimate. If it is still huge, delete sheets you will not send or split out a range. Selectable text may not survive if a scan has to be rebuilt as JPEG.

Question 3

Why is my PDF too large for email?

Accepted Answer

Gmail is often around 25MB for the whole message. Outlook is often around 20MB. Job boards and school portals are frequently 5MB to 10MB. Confirm the cap on the service you use. Compress image-heavy PDFs first. If it is still over, remove unused pages or split out the range you are sending.

Question 4

How does PDF compression work?

Accepted Answer

The compressor first re-encodes embedded photos and scans as smaller JPEGs so text stays selectable. If that cannot shrink the file (common with some phone scans), it rebuilds those pages as JPEG at your quality setting. Text-only PDFs stay the same size instead of growing.

Question 5

Will compression affect the quality of my PDF?

Accepted Answer

Lower quality makes photos and scans a bit softer and smaller. When only embedded images are rewritten, text stays sharp and selectable. If pages are rebuilt as images so the file can shrink, text becomes part of the page image. Text-only PDFs that cannot shrink keep the original file.

Question 6

Can I compress a PDF without Adobe?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Drop the file on this page. The job runs in your browser. You do not need Acrobat, a desktop app, or an account for a basic compress. The PDF is not uploaded to our servers.

Question 7

Is my PDF uploaded to your servers?

Accepted Answer

No. All compression happens 100% in your browser. Your PDF never leaves your device. This ensures complete privacy and security for your documents.

Question 8

How much can I reduce the file size?

Accepted Answer

Scans and image-heavy PDFs typically shrink 30-70%. Text-only PDFs are already compact, so they stay the same size instead of growing.

Question 9

Why didn't my PDF get smaller?

Accepted Answer

The file may already be text-only, or every quality setting may land at the same size. The tool will not return a larger file. Remove pages you do not need, or split out a smaller range, then try again if images remain.

Question 10

What's the maximum file size I can compress?

Accepted Answer

Since processing happens in your browser, the limit depends on your device's memory. Most modern devices can handle PDFs up to 50-100MB without issues.

Question 11

Does this work on mobile devices?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The compressor runs in a modern mobile browser. Large scans are still easier on a desktop or laptop with more memory.

Compress PDF - Reduce File Size for Email Free