8 Best Tools to Compress PDF [Online + Software]

Portable Document Format (PDF) is the most recommended file format for sharing text- and graphics-intensive data in its original format without loss of formatting.

However, due to the high quality of the content, PDFs can be large, up to several hundred MB in size. Not only do these files take up a large amount of storage space on your disk, but you also face many problems when you try to share these files via email.

Thankfully, you can reduce the size of these files by compressing them using one of several PDF compression programs available online and offline.

When compressing PDF files, you should know that most tools reduce the quality of the images and text contained in the PDF in order to compress the PDF and reduce its size. Therefore, you need to make sure that the text and images in your PDF maintain acceptable quality after compression.

Similarly, if you want to compress PDF files that contain important information, you should choose a PDF compressor that does not save the PDF file and prevents unauthorized reviews.

With these precautions in mind, let’s take a look at all the options at your disposal.

All popular operating systems offer classic methods for compressing files of various formats, including PDF. Try these methods and see if you get satisfactory results.

Zip compression method on Windows

Windows allows you to compress or zip various files into a single folder to reduce the space they take up on your disk. It can also be transferred to other devices faster than uncompressed files.

• To compress files in Windows, you need to find the files and folders (if they exist) that you want to compress.
• Right-click the file to access the context menu, select the Send option, and then select Compressed Folder.
• that’s it. A new zip folder will be created in the same location.

How to compress WinZip on Mac

macOS also includes native tools to compress PDF files into zip folders with just a few clicks. Follow the steps below to compress PDF files on Mac.

• Open Finder and find the PDF file you want to compress.
• Move this file to a folder.
• Then right-click on the folder to display a drop-down menu.
• Select the Compress [folder name] option and you’re good to go.

Reduce file size with the Preview app

Macs also have an option to compress PDFs from the Preview app. However, compressing PDF files in this way reduces the quality of the PDF.

• Launch the Preview app and open the PDF app you want to compress.
• Then click on the “File” menu and select the “Export” option.
• Note: Do not select the Export as PDF option.
• A Quartz Filter menu will pop up on your screen. Select the Reduce file size option.

Reduce PDF size on Linux using GhostScript

On Linux, you can compress PDFs using the Ghostscript command line. The following command can compress a PDF to obtain readable quality.

 gs -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dCompatibilityLevel=1.4 -dPDFSETTINGS=/screen -dNOPAUSE -dQUIET 
-dBATCH -sOutputFile=output.pdf input.pdf

You can rename input.pdf and Output.pdf to the source and result file names, respectively.

Various variations of -dPDFSETTINGS are shown below. You can use either one depending on your needs.

• -dPDFSETTINGS=/screen
  Lower quality and smaller size. (72dpi)
• -dPDFSETTINGS=/ebook
  it has Better quality but slightly larger size (150 dpi)
• -dPDFSETTINGS=/prepress
  Increased output size and quality (300 dpi)
• -dPDFSETTINGS=/printer
  Output is printer type quality (300 dpi)
• -dPDFSETTINGS=/default
  Choose outputs that are useful for multiple purposes. PDFS can become large.

Use external tools

There are several third-party tools on the market that you can install on your machine to compress PDF files. We have chosen the best one for you.

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

First, let’s talk about Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. It’s compatible with both Windows and Mac and is a treasure for professionals who frequently work with PDFs.

Apart from PDF compression capabilities, it also comes with several useful features, making it a great choice for those who have the expertise to use this sophisticated tool. For beginners, it may seem a little too overwhelming and not what you’re looking for.

Adobe DC is a complete package that helps you work with and organize PDFs. This tool not only allows you to compress PDF files without losing information, but also allows you to split and merge documents, edit styles, cut/insert text, and more. The quality and amount of PDF compression depends on several factors of the original PDF document.

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC works offline and provides better results than other alternatives. Adobe Acrobat offers a free trial if you want to try it before you buy.

WinZip PDF Pro

WinZip is an all-in-one PDF solution that allows you to easily read, edit, and compress PDF files. WinZip’s efficient compression capabilities and easy-to-use interface make compressing PDF files easy. This utility tool works offline and compresses PDF files to a manageable file size.

WinZip PDF Pro pays special attention to PDF security and prevents unauthorized people from accessing your PDF files. This tool does not host files on cloud storage, so it cannot read PDF data.

Compressing PDF files using the WinZip PDF Pro tool is an easy task. First, you need to launch the software on your PC and open the PDF file that needs to be compressed. Next, select the compression option and set the compression type from the dropdown. The size and quality of the PDF file created depends on the compression type you choose. Once you have selected the compression type, press the “Compress” button.

Then just save the compressed PDF file wherever you want. Download WinZip PDF Pro and use it for free during a 7-day trial period.

7-zip

7 – ZIP is a common utility tool in Windows that allows you to compress files and folders and share a reduced version of the files. This tool can compress all types of file formats, including PDF files. Unlike other PDF compression tools, 7-Zip does not reduce the actual size of the original file. Instead, the compressed PDF file is saved in a different format.

Therefore, you will need 7-Zip or some other file compression tool to extract the PDF file and be able to view it. Once the file is extracted, the file size will return to its original size. Overall, 7-Zip is a useful tool for compressing large PDF files that you want to archive or don’t need to use frequently.

• Once you download and install 7-Zip on your PC, it will appear in the file’s context menu.
• To compress a PDF file, you need to right-click on the PDF file and select the “Add to Archive” option.
• Next, select the Ultra compression level and choose LZMA2 as the compression method.
• Click the OK button and the compressed file will be saved in the same folder as the original file.
  

Online PDF compression tool

Next, check out some of the popular PDF compression tools available online.

Adobe PDF Compressor

Adobe PDF Compressor is the most widely used online platform for effortlessly compressing PDFs. Most users have Adobe PDF Reader installed on their PC, which can be used to view PDF files.

Adobe also has a web-based tool known as Adobe PDF compressor that allows you to do things like compress PDF files. This PDF compressor is free to use and can reduce the size of your PDF files in the blink of an eye.

This online tool also supports drag and drop functionality to easily upload files to your browser. The process of compressing PDF files using Adobe PDF Reader is simple.

• Once you’re on the website, press the “Choose File” button to upload your file. You can also drag and drop the PDF files that you need to compress.
• The compression process will start automatically as soon as the file is uploaded.
• You will receive a notification when the compressed file is ready to download.

Neevia PDFCompress

The next tool on the list is Neevia PDFCompress . This is a robust compression tool that allows you to customize the compression procedure. This tool is more suitable for professional users than general users, as you need to configure various compression settings before compressing PDF files.

Neevia allows you to choose the compression quality of color, gray, and mono images present in your PDF.

Additionally, you have the option to select objects that you do not want included in the generated PDF, such as thumbnails, tags, annotations, bookmarks, and forms. Neevia PDF tool can only compress PDF files that are less than 24MB in size. You can also try the paid compression tool provided by Neevia. This tool can also compress and encrypt PDF files in offline mode.

small pdf

SmallPDF is the best platform available online that you can try to compress PDF files due to its easy compression steps and reliable service. You can choose to drag and drop the PDF or upload it from the device itself. If your PDF is in your Dropbox or Google Drive account, you can also upload the file directly from there.

Smallpdf offers basic compression techniques for free users, resulting in medium file sizes while preserving the original quality. If you want to try out powerful compression, you should sign up for the pro version. Smallpdf does not allow you to convert more than two PDF documents per day in its free version. Therefore, if you want to convert files in bulk, you will have to purchase one of the premium plans starting from $9 per month.

soda pdf

Soda PDF online compression tool provides reliable and high quality PDF compression for free. This platform is suitable for businesses that want to compress PDF files without reducing their quality.

Soda PDF allows you to upload PDF files directly from your PC. You can also upload files from Google Drive and DropBox with cloud storage platform integration. The resulting compressed file perfectly retains the original quality of the source file and can be easily uploaded or shared via email.

The tool provides decent compression quality without a subscription, but the premium business plan gives you access to a PDF management package consisting of intelligent PDF compression, file encryption, and file format conversion tools. Masu. You can also download the desktop version of the web-based software to compress PDF files offline.

iLovePDF

iLovePDF offers comprehensive PDF manipulation tools, including a sophisticated PDF compressor. This web-based PDF compressor effectively reduces PDF size while providing the best possible quality. This tool is free to use and has unlimited compression limits.

To compress a PDF, you first need to upload it from your device or from Dropbox or Google Drive. Choose one of the three compression modes listed on the right and press the “Compress PDF” button to start the process.

When you’re ready to download your compressed PDF, you can download the compressed file and share the download link with someone online. To compress PDF files in bulk, you must first register on the website. In our experience, iLovePDF compresses PDFs containing images better than PDFs containing text.

conclusion

No matter why you need to compress PDF files, if you need to share them with others or save space on your hard disk, the above tools are the best choice for compressing PDF files. We have tried and tested several PDF compressors to bring you the best ones that do a great job of compressing files.

You may also be interested in the best PDF editors.