Compress a PDF to a target size
Shrink a PDF to at most a size you choose by recompressing its embedded images.
Drag & drop a file here
or click to browse
In MB — only embedded images can be recompressed.
Runs via our server — files are uploaded and deleted right after processing.
Your file is ready to download.
Download PDFHonest limits
Only embedded raster images (photos, scans) are recompressed — text, fonts and vector graphics are left untouched. The size is a hard ceiling: if the lowest quality isn't enough, the images' resolution is lowered too — they keep their place and size on the page, and you're told by how much. A text-only or already-optimized PDF has nothing to shrink, so it comes back valid and unchanged; the tool always shows the size it actually achieved and says plainly when the target wasn't reached, rather than pretending it worked.
How it works
- Upload your PDF — Upload the PDF you want to shrink.
- Set a target size — Enter the most the file may weigh in MB — the engine recompresses embedded images to fit, scaling them down if needed.
- Download the result — Download the compressed PDF — the achieved size is shown, along with a plain note if the images were scaled down or the target wasn't reached.
When to use it
Use it before emailing a scanned document that's too large, when an upload portal enforces a size limit, or to shrink an image-heavy archive of scanned PDFs before storing it.
Frequently asked questions
Will my PDF always end up under the target size?
Usually, if it contains photos or scans: the size is a hard ceiling, and if the lowest quality isn't enough, the images' resolution is lowered too. A PDF made mostly of text and fonts has little to shrink — then you get the smallest size possible back, with a plain note that the target wasn't reached.
What happens if my PDF has no images to compress?
You get the original PDF back unchanged, with a note that there was nothing to recompress — never a fake 'compressed' file that's actually identical.
Do I need an account?
No — anonymous use works for smaller files; a registered plan raises the size limits.