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Compress PDF

Make a file smaller for email and forms.

License

Privacy

Processed entirely on your device

Your file never leaves your device.

About Compress PDF

Compress PDF reduces the size of a PDF so it fits an email, a form or an upload limit. It shrinks the images inside the file to the level you pick and leaves the text as it is, so the result stays readable and searchable. The whole job runs in your browser; a file up to 500 MB is never uploaded.

  • Fit a portal upload limit
  • Email a scanned document
  • Shrink a photo-heavy report
  • Reduce a scanned ID proof

How to compress PDF

  1. Drop the PDF

    One file or several, up to 500 MB each.

  2. Pick a level

    Light keeps images close to the original, Balanced trades a little quality for a much smaller file, and Max gets the file as small as it can.

  3. Save the smaller PDF

    Download it, or hand it on to Sign or Redact if there is more to do.

Why your file never leaves your device

Most online tools upload your file to a server, work on it there, and keep a copy for a while. Thryve PDF does the work inside your browser instead, with code that runs on your own device, so there is no upload, no copy on a server and nothing to delete afterwards. Close the tab and the file is gone from memory. It also means the tools keep working on a slow connection once the page has loaded.

Questions, answered

Can I compress a PDF to under 100 KB, 200 KB or 500 KB?
Often, yes. How small a PDF can get depends on what is in it: scanned pages are mostly images and shrink a lot at a strong level; a text-only PDF is already small. Try Max compression and check the size of the result; split the file if it still has to be smaller.
Will the text still be selectable after compressing?
Yes. Only the images are made smaller. Text, links and form fields are left as they were.
Why is my compressed PDF not much smaller?
The file probably has little image data to shrink, or it was already compressed. Scanned PDFs respond best; Max compression helps when Balanced does not.
Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
No. The PDF is opened and processed inside your browser tab, on your own device, and the result is saved straight back to it. Thryve has no server that receives files.
Is it free?
Yes. This page gives 10 free exports every rolling 30 days, with no account. Thryve Pro, $9.99 once with no subscription, removes the limit on every Thryve PDF, Photo, Media and Invoice page.
Do I need to sign up?
No. Drop a file and start. An account is only needed to buy Thryve Pro, so the licence can follow you between devices.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes, in Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox on Android and iPhone, as well as on Windows, Mac and Linux. Since the work happens on the device, a large file takes longer on a phone than on a laptop.

Guides that use Compress PDF

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