PdfKit · Guide
Compress a PDF without uploading
Photo-heavy exports and scans are usually the files that shrink. Text-only PDFs are often already compact — PdfKit will say so.
Pick a preset
- High quality — keeps selectable text and shrinks embedded photos gently.
- Balanced — still keeps text, with stronger photo compression. Start here.
- Smallest file — rebuilds each page as an image. The page still looks readable, but text is no longer selectable or searchable.
How to read the result
After you download, PdfKit shows original size → new size. If the rebuilt file is not smaller, the download is your original and the note explains why. That is intentional. A “compressor” that hands you a larger file is worse than doing nothing.
When Smallest is the right call
Use it for email attachments of slides or scans where file size matters more than copying text. Do not use it if you still need to search, copy quotes, or keep form fields.
Privacy
Compression runs in your browser. The PDF is not uploaded. See the privacy policy for hosting logs and analytics.