PDF resizer
Reduce a PDF to the file size you actually need.
Drop your file here
Processed securely and deleted within the hour.
"Resize" means two different things
People arrive at a PDF resizer wanting one of two quite different jobs, and it is worth saying which this is.
Usually they mean file size — a document is 4 MB and something will only accept 500 KB. That is what this page does: you name the number and it works backwards until the file fits.
Occasionally they mean page size — turning A4 pages into Letter, or shrinking a poster to fit an envelope. That is a different operation entirely, changing the physical dimensions of the sheet rather than the bytes on disk, and cropping is usually the closer tool.
Working backwards from a number
Fixed compression presets are a guess. You pick "medium", the file comes out at 620 KB, the limit was 500 KB, and you try again. Naming the target removes the guessing: the tool compresses, measures, and if it is still too big compresses harder, stopping the moment it fits so you keep as much quality as the limit allows.
What gives way, and in what order
Image quality first, then image resolution. Text and vector content are never touched, which is why the result stays searchable and selectable no matter how far the file is squeezed.
This is also why results vary so much between documents. A scan is a stack of photographs and compresses enormously — 80 to 95% is routine. A PDF exported from Word is mostly text and may barely move, because there was never any excess to remove.
When the number is impossible
Some targets cannot be met. Forty colour pages will not become 100 KB and still be worth reading. Rather than hand back a file that misses your limit, the tool tells you and reports the smallest it achieved — so you know whether to split the document or drop some pages.
Common limits
The most frequently demanded targets have dedicated pages: 100 KB and 200 KB.
Common questions
Can any PDF be compressed to 100 KB?
No. A long colour scan cannot reach 100 KB and remain readable. We tell you the smallest size we managed rather than returning a file that misses your limit.
Will the text still be selectable?
Yes. Only images are re-encoded; the text layer is untouched, so you can still search and copy from the result.
Why did my file barely get smaller?
It was probably already efficient — a text-only PDF exported from Word has almost no image weight to remove.
Is the quality loss visible?
At mild targets, no. As the target tightens we reduce image quality and then resolution, and at very small sizes on a scan it will look softer. You choose the trade-off by choosing the number.
Are my files kept?
No. Each job runs in its own directory on the server and is deleted as soon as your download has been sent, with a sweeper removing anything a crash leaves behind.
Does it work on scanned documents?
That is exactly what it is best at. Scans are the case where 80–95% reductions are normal.