How to compress a PDF

  1. 1

    Upload your PDF

    Click the upload area or drag your PDF onto the tool.

  2. 2

    Choose compression level

    Select light, medium, or heavy compression depending on how small you need the file.

  3. 3

    Download the compressed PDF

    Click Compress PDF. Download the smaller file when processing finishes.

About PDF compressor

Large PDF files are a problem when you need to email a document, upload it to a web form with a file size cap, or store large volumes of documents efficiently. DocumentFlipper's compression tool reduces PDF file size by optimising images, removing redundant data, and applying efficient encoding — without visibly degrading the document's readability.

Three compression levels are available. Light compression makes modest reductions while preserving high image quality — ideal for print-ready documents. Medium compression achieves a good balance between file size and visual quality, suitable for most office documents. Heavy compression maximises size reduction at the cost of some image sharpness, best for documents that will be read on screen rather than printed.

Your PDF is processed on our secure server and deleted within two hours. The compressed file is available for immediate download.

Frequently asked questions

How much will compression reduce my file size?
Results vary. PDFs that contain large photos compress the most — sometimes by 70% or more. PDFs that are mostly text may only shrink by 10–20%.
Which compression level should I choose?
For email attachments, medium is usually ideal. For archiving scanned documents, heavy saves the most space. For high-quality print files, use light.
Will compression affect text readability?
No. Text is never re-compressed or altered. Only embedded images are optimised.
Can I compress an already-compressed PDF?
You can run the tool, but the size reduction will be smaller since the images are already optimised.
How long are my files stored?
Your uploaded PDF and the compressed output are automatically deleted from our servers within two hours.