Question 1

Is text still selectable after compression?

Accepted Answer

Yes, with the default setting. Only the document's images are recompressed; text, vectors and fonts are left untouched, so the document stays searchable and accessible. The “scanned document” mode, which turns every page into an image, is the only one that loses the text — and it says so plainly.

Question 2

Can I target an exact size, say 2 MB?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Enter the size you must stay under and the tool searches for the setting that comes closest, keeping the best result that fits under the limit. If the size cannot be reached, you get the lightest document it managed, and the shortfall is stated.

Question 3

How much smaller can a document get?

Accepted Answer

It depends entirely on what it holds. A document full of photographs commonly loses half its weight or more. A pure text document will barely shrink: its weight is already in its fonts and structure, which compression leaves alone. The tool weighs the document before starting and tells you where its bytes are.

Question 4

Is image quality degraded?

Accepted Answer

It is reduced — that is what compression means. This is why the original and the result are shown side by side before you run: you judge for yourself whether the loss is acceptable, and raise the quality if it is not. No watermark is ever added.

Question 5

Are my files sent to a server?

Accepted Answer

No. Your document is not transmitted to us: we know neither its name nor its contents. There is nothing to delete afterwards.

Question 6

Why do some documents barely shrink?

Accepted Answer

Three main causes. The document may be mostly text, which is already compressed. Its images may have been optimised before you, in which case recompressing them would make them bigger — the tool then leaves them alone. Or they are stored in a format we do not rewrite, such as JPEG 2000: we would rather leave an image untouched than risk damaging it.

Compress PDF

Three steps, nothing more.

Built for the result.

Text stays text

Compare before you run

Accepted formats

Where your files are processed

What people ask us.

Related tools.

Compress PDF

Three steps, nothing more.

Built for the result.

Text stays text

Compare before you run

Accepted formats

Where your files are processed

What people ask us.

01Is text still selectable after compression?

02Can I target an exact size, say 2 MB?

03How much smaller can a document get?

04Is image quality degraded?

05Are my files sent to a server?

06Why do some documents barely shrink?

Related tools.