IMAGE TOOLBOX / GUIDE
How to Reduce PDF File Size (for Scanned and Photo PDFs)
A tool that works well for scans, and a clear note on when not to use it.
Shrinking a PDF on this site
Upload a PDF to Shrink a PDF in the PDF tools and each page is rebuilt as a JPG image and bundled back into one PDF. You can pick three compression levels (High 150 dpi, Balanced 110 dpi, Smallest 80 dpi); it handles up to 50 pages and 20 MB per file, all inside your browser.
What we measured with test files we generated ourselves: a 3-page scan-style PDF full of photo-like texture (3.3 MB) became about 484 KB at Balanced (85% smaller) and about 197 KB at Smallest (94% smaller). Real scans will vary with their resolution and content.
It only helps some PDFs
This works for scans and photo-heavy PDFs, where images make up most of the file size.
It backfires on text-based PDFs. Text is already tiny, and turning pages into images makes the file bigger: in the same test, a 3-page text-only PDF (14.5 KB) grew to about 298 KB, and the tool tells you when the result is larger than the original. Either way, pages become images, so you can no longer select or search the text. For text-heavy files, use the size-optimization option in a word processor or PDF editor instead.
Results also depend on image type. Color-rich scans often shrink a lot, while documents with flat colors, stamps or handwriting can show visible quality loss at the smallest level; step up one level if that happens. Our format comparison explains why flat graphics behave differently.
If you want finer control
You can still do it by hand: convert the PDF pages to images with the PDF tools, compress them in the image compressor (for example with "Fit a target file size"), then combine them back into a PDF.
FAQ
Can I upload a PDF and shrink it directly?
Yes. Use Shrink a PDF in the PDF tools: it rebuilds each page as a JPG (up to 50 pages, 20 MB, three levels).
Will it work on a long text report?
No, and it can make things worse. Text is already small, converting to images makes the file larger, and you lose text selection and search. The tool warns you when the result is bigger.
How much smaller will a scanned PDF get?
It depends on the scan and the level. On our synthetic 3-page scan-style test it shrank 85% to 94%; already-compressed scans shrink less.
What about PDFs over 50 pages?
Shrinking is limited to 50 pages to protect memory. Split longer documents, shrink the parts, then merge them again with Merge PDFs.
Is the shrunk PDF always smaller?
No. Already well-compressed or text-based PDFs can come out larger; in that case the tool says so and keeping the original is better.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. All processing happens locally in your browser.