Help Center
How to compress a PDF
Reduce one PDF safely, follow capacity-aware processing, compare real file sizes and review the downloaded result.
Compress PDF reduces the byte size of one PDF and returns the smallest valid result produced by the available compression methods. It is useful when a portal, email service or document workflow has a practical file-size limit. The result depends on the source: scan-heavy PDFs can shrink substantially, while an already optimized PDF may change very little.
Before you start
Use one valid PDF that you are permitted to process. Keep the original until you have opened and reviewed the result. Guest processing is available, while signed-in plans can have different current limits.
| Plan | Shared actions | Effective input | Transcribe | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guest Free | 1 credits / rolling 24 hours | 30 MB/action | Uses the shared action pool | lowest |
| Registered Free | 5 credits / rolling 24 hours | 30 MB/action | Uses the shared action pool | standard |
| Pro | Unlimited standard actions | 200 MB/action | Uses the shared action pool | priority |
| Pro Plus | Unlimited standard actions | 500 MB/action | Uses the shared action pool | highest |
Best for
- Reducing a scan before a portal upload.
- Preparing a PDF for email attachment limits.
- Making a review copy easier to transfer.
- Comparing the practical result of safe compression methods.
How to use it
- Open Compress PDF and choose or drop one PDF.
- Confirm that the selected filename and size match the document you intend to process.
- Start compression once; do not create duplicate submissions while work is active.
- Follow the visible capacity status if the job must wait.
- Compare the original and result byte sizes.
- Download the result and open important pages before using it.
Processing and queue
What you receive
You receive a separate downloadable PDF plus the actual original and result sizes. A small reduction is a valid outcome when the source has little safely compressible content. The original is not overwritten.
What to check before relying on the result
Review small text, photographs, diagrams, scans, signatures, stamps and pages that will be printed. Confirm that every page opens and that the result meets the real transfer limit without unacceptable visual change.
Limitations
- Compression cannot guarantee a particular target size.
- Repeated compression can reduce quality without useful savings.
- Password-protected, malformed or non-PDF input can be rejected.
- A smaller file is not automatically suitable for legal, archival or print use.
Privacy and file handling
Job files are handled temporarily for the requested operation. Result and limited job metadata retention follow the current product authority.
| Plan | Result | Metadata |
|---|---|---|
| Guest Free | 1 hour | Not retained |
| Registered Free | 1 day | 1 day |
| Pro | 1 day | 30 days |
| Pro Plus | 1 day | 90 days |
Troubleshooting
If the file is rejected, check its format, integrity, size and current usage limit. If processing fails, read the safe error before retrying. Retry only when the interface offers it or the prior request has reached a terminal state. If the result is larger or visually unsuitable, keep and use the original.
Examples
- Reduce a 20-page scanned form before uploading it to a case-management portal.
- Prepare a smaller review copy of a graphics-heavy report.
- Confirm that an already optimized contract has no meaningful safe reduction available.