Compress PDF

Shrink large PDFs in your browser — reduce file size with adjustable quality, ideal for scans and image-heavy files.

Drop a PDF here

or click to choose a file

Smaller files

Slim down a bulky document fast

Use this free PDF compressor to reduce PDF size by re-encoding each page at the quality you choose — shrink a PDF for free without losing more quality than you want. It's tailor-made to compress a PDF for email when a scanned, image-packed document won't attach, and you can reduce the PDF file size online with the before-and-after saving shown so there are no surprises.

  • Adjustable compression quality (low, medium, high)
  • See the before and after file size
  • Great for scanned and image-heavy PDFs
  • 100% client-side — your document never leaves your device

Four steps to lighter

Make a heavy PDF email-friendly

Trimming a file down to size is a three-tap job, with a clear before-and-after to back it up.

  1. 1

    Open the document you want to slim down.

  2. 2

    Pick a quality level — low, medium or high.

  3. 3

    Check the saving: original size next to the new, smaller size.

  4. 4

    Download the lighter file, ready to attach or upload.

Common needs

When a file is simply too big

Oversized documents slow everything down — these are the moments shrinking one really pays off.

  • Getting a large document under an email attachment limit.

  • Reducing image-heavy scans so they upload far quicker.

  • Lightening a portfolio or brochure so it loads fast on the web.

The choices

Browser compression vs apps and upload sites

See how reducing file size here compares with desktop optimisers and the upload-based shrink-my-PDF websites.

FeatureInkyToolsDesktop softwareUpload-based sites
Completely free
Files stay on your device
No sign-up or account
Nothing to install
Works on any device
No watermarks or limits

Quick answers

Compression questions, covered

How do I compress a PDF for email?
Upload your PDF, choose a quality level and click Compress. Each page is re-encoded as an optimised image to cut the file size, then download the smaller PDF — ideal for email attachments.
Will compressing reduce quality?
Lower quality means a smaller file. Choose High to keep pages crisp, or Low for the smallest size. You can see the before and after size before downloading.
Is the compressor free and private?
Yes. Compressing PDFs with InkyTools is free and runs in your browser, so your file is never uploaded to a server.

Local only

Files are compressed on your machine

Every page is re-encoded inside your browser, so the document you're shrinking is never uploaded — handy when the bulky file you need to send also happens to be a private one.

  • Nothing uploaded
  • Works offline
  • No sign-up, any device

Compress PDF: free, private and browser-based

InkyTools is a free PDF compressor that helps you reduce PDF size in your browser. Pick a quality level to shrink PDF free, make PDF smaller, and compress PDF for email when a file is too big to attach — it's the quick way to reduce PDF file size online for scanned and image-heavy documents.

You can compress PDF online free and compress PDF without losing quality you care about, with the before-and-after saving shown so there are no surprises. As a PDF size reducer it runs entirely on your device, so nothing is uploaded and private files stay with you.