Compress PDF
Reduce file size while maintaining quality
Drag & drop PDF files here
or click to browse · Max 10MB per file
Related Tools
How to compress a PDF online
Large PDF files are inconvenient to email, slow to open, and eat up storage. PDFRift compresses your PDFs by optimising the internal structure and removing unnecessary metadata — all inside your browser. The result is a noticeably smaller file that looks exactly the same when you open it.
Step-by-step
- Drop your PDF into the upload area above.
- Click "Compress" and wait a moment while the tool optimises the file.
- Download your compressed PDF and compare the file sizes — you will see the savings immediately.
Why compress PDFs locally?
Cloud-based compression tools require you to upload your document, which is a problem when the file contains personal or confidential data. PDFRift avoids this entirely by running compression in your browser. The original file and the compressed output both stay on your device. This approach is especially important for industries with strict data-handling requirements such as healthcare, legal, and finance.
Common use cases
Email attachments
Most email providers cap attachments at 20–25 MB. Compress a bloated PDF to fit within the limit without splitting it into parts.
Website uploads
Smaller PDFs load faster when embedded on a web page or served as downloadable resources, improving the experience for your visitors.
Cloud storage
Reduce the footprint of archived documents in Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive to free up space on your plan.
Tips for PDF compression
- Files with lots of high-resolution images benefit the most from compression. Text-heavy PDFs are already quite small.
- If the compressed file is still too large, consider splitting the document first and compressing the parts individually.
- Free-tier files are capped at 10 MB. Upgrade to Pro for files up to 150 MB or Business for up to 500 MB.
Frequently asked questions
How much smaller will my file be?
Results vary depending on the content. Files with embedded images and redundant metadata typically shrink by 20–60 %. Lean, text-only PDFs may see a smaller reduction.
Does compression reduce image quality?
PDFRift focuses on structural optimisation — removing duplicate objects and unused data — rather than aggressive image re-encoding. Visual quality is preserved.
Can I compress a file more than once?
You can, but the second pass usually yields minimal additional savings because the major optimisations have already been applied.