Free
Compress a PDF without degrading the text
To compress a PDF with FontiaPDF, open it in the editor, press “Compress” and choose a level: “Standard” repacks the file without losing anything, and “Maximum” also scales large images down to 150 dpi. Text is never rasterized: it stays real text, sharp at any zoom, selectable and searchable.
When it finishes you see the size before and after, and you decide whether to download the result or try the other level.
How to compress a PDF in 3 steps
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Open the PDF
Upload it to the editor (up to 50 MB) and press “Compress”; on a phone it is under “⋯ More”. If you already made edits, they are applied first and the result is compressed.
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Pick a level
“Standard” is lossless and suits text documents. “Maximum” is meant for PDFs with photos or scanned pages, where the weight is in the images.
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Compare and download
Check the “before → after” sizes and press “Download compressed PDF”. If the file was already optimized, the editor tells you so.
What’s preserved and what isn’t
Preserved
- Text, vector graphics and fonts are left intact at both levels.
- At “Standard” the PDF looks identical: it is just packed better, for example by storing repeated images only once.
- Text remains selectable and searchable after compression.
Limits
- “Maximum” scales large images down to 150 dpi and re-encodes them as JPEG: they look fine on screen, but it isn’t a good idea for photos you plan to print large.
- A PDF that is mostly text usually shrinks very little, since the weight is in the images and fonts.
- You can’t ask for an exact size, like “under 1 MB”: the result depends on the content.
- Very heavy PDFs can exceed the server’s memory; if that happens, the editor warns you and your file is left unchanged.
Free or Premium
Free
20 exports a day, no sign-up and no watermark.
- Compress at Standard or Maximum
- See the savings before downloading
- Edit the text before compressing
Premium
Unlimited exports and extra features.
- Unlimited exports of your edits
- Insert images and signatures
- Password-protect the PDF
Frequently asked questions
Does compressing a PDF reduce quality?
At Standard, no: the content doesn’t change. At Maximum only large images are scaled down, to 150 dpi; text stays just as sharp.
Is compression free?
Yes. Compression is part of the free plan and, on its own, doesn’t use any of your 20 daily exports. It only counts as one if you had edits you hadn’t downloaded yet, because the edited PDF is exported first.
How much smaller will my file get?
It depends on the document. PDFs with photos or scanned pages shrink the most at Maximum, while a text-only PDF usually stays about the same. The editor shows you the exact percentage before you download.
Can I compress several PDFs at once?
No. It compresses the document you have open in the editor, one at a time.
More tools
Ready to give it a try?
Upload your PDF and edit it in your browser, with no sign-up and nothing to install.
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