Compress PDFs to a fraction of the size
Shrink PDF files by re-encoding pages at adjustable quality — one document or many at a time. Files never leave your browser.
Drop PDFs here
or click to browse — one file or many
01Why this compressor
Smaller PDFs, same look.
Four reasons procurement officers, illustrators, and IT admins lean on this page over their desktop tools.
- 01
Typical PDFs lose 40–70%
Most everyday PDFs — reports, scans, decks — drop dramatically without looking different. Bigger savings come from scan-heavy files.
- 02
Three honest levels
Light keeps it close to the original. Balanced is the everyday pick. Strong squeezes harder when you need to clear an email cap.
- 03
Compresses in the browser
Pages render and re-encode locally via pdf-lib and pdfjs. A 50 MB report usually finishes in well under a minute on a normal laptop.
- 04
No uploaded copy of your file
Confidential reports, financials, IDs — everything stays on your machine. We can't show you a size comparison from a server because there is no server.
02How it works
Three steps to a leaner PDF.
- Drop PDFreport.pdf18.4 MB · 86 pages
Step 1Drop the PDF
Drag in a file up to 100 MB. The tool reads the page count instantly so you know it loaded.
- LevelLightBalancedStrong
Step 2Pick a compression level
Balanced is the right answer most of the time. Drop to Strong only when you need to clear a tight email or upload cap.
- 62% smallerreport.pdfPDF · 7.1 MB · 86 pages
Step 3Download the smaller PDF
Click Compress and save the result. Need it smaller still? Switch to Strong and re-run — the original is still loaded.
03Use cases
When file size is the blocker.
Every PDF compression is really about getting past a limit somewhere. These are the limits people hit most often.
Get under the 25 MB email cap
Most inboxes refuse attachments over 25 MB. Balanced compression gets a typical 40 MB report well under that — no Dropbox link needed.
40 MB → 14 MBFaster portal uploads
Government and HR portals choke on big files. A smaller PDF uploads in seconds instead of timing out on the third try.
60 MB → 22 MBCheaper cloud storage
Compressing a folder of monthly reports before backing it up can shave gigabytes off your storage bill over a year.
12 reports, 50% lighter eachLighter web downloads
Visitors abandon downloads that take forever. A leaner PDF on your site means more people actually finish reading.
Hosted whitepaper → 60% lighterSlim scanned receipts
Phone-scan receipts come in absurdly large. Compress before filing them in your accountant's folder.
8 MB scan → 1.4 MBSend over WhatsApp / Telegram
Messaging apps have their own size limits. Strong compression makes most PDFs fit through without quality you'd notice on a phone screen.
30 MB → 6 MB
04Light vs Balanced vs Strong
Pick the right level.
The three levels are honest about what they cost. Here is what each one does to a typical PDF.
| Attribute | Light / Balanced | Strong |
|---|---|---|
| Typical savings | Light / BalancedLight: 10–25% · Balanced: 35–55% | StrongStrong: 55–75% |
| Text quality | Light / BalancedLight & Balanced: identical to source | StrongStrong: still crisp; very faint smoothing on scans |
| Photo quality | Light / BalancedLight: untouched · Balanced: light JPG compression | StrongStrong: visible on careful inspection |
| Page resolution | Light / BalancedLight: 1.5× · Balanced: 1.2× | StrongStrong: 1× |
| Best for | Light / BalancedImportant reports, contracts | StrongEmail caps, portal uploads, messaging |
| Time to compress | Light / BalancedLight: fastest · Balanced: middle | StrongStrong: longest (still under a minute) |
05Quick tips
Squeeze smarter.
Habits that pull extra bytes out without anyone noticing the difference.
- 01
Start at Balanced
It's the sweet spot — substantial savings, no visible difference. Drop to Strong only if Balanced still leaves you over a hard limit.
- 02
Check before sending
After compressing, open the PDF and look at any pages with small text or fine photo detail. If something's off, re-run on Light.
- 03
Compress, then merge
If you're going to merge multiple PDFs, compress each one first. The merged file ends up smaller than compressing once at the end.
- 04
Scans benefit the most
Pure-text PDFs from Word are already small. Scanned and image-heavy PDFs are where Balanced and Strong shine — often 60-70% off.
06Loved by
Procurement, design, and IT rely on it.
Our portal rejects anything over 20 MB. A 60 MB proposal goes through Balanced and lands at 18 MB — same look, accepted on first try.
I send portfolio PDFs to clients constantly. Compressing each one to under 5 MB means they actually open the file on their phone in the meeting.
We compress every doc before archiving. Cut the year's PDF storage bill by a third. Three levels is enough; the rest is noise.
07Questions
PDF compression, plainly answered.
The handful of things people check before compressing a sensitive document. Anything missing? hello@wirelogs.com.
01How much smaller will my PDF get?
It depends on the content. Pure-text PDFs from Word might shrink 10-20%. Scanned PDFs and image-heavy decks often drop 50-70%, sometimes more on Strong. The tool re-renders pages at lower resolution and re-encodes images, so files with lots of photos benefit most.
02Which level should I pick?
Balanced for almost everything. Light when you can't afford any visible change (contracts going out for signature, important reports). Strong only when you've already tried Balanced and need to clear a hard size limit.
03Will the text still be selectable?
Yes. Compression re-renders each page but text remains as an extractable layer. Copy-paste, search, and screen readers still work on the compressed PDF.
04Can I compress a password-protected PDF?
Most lightly-protected PDFs compress fine (the everyday kind). For true encrypted PDFs with an open password, unlock them in a viewer first, then drop the file here.
05How big a PDF can I compress?
Up to 100 MB per file. Most PDFs people care about fit well under that. If yours is larger, split it into smaller chunks first using the PDF splitter.
06Is the tool truly free?
Yes. No usage cap, no watermark, no premium tier, no sign-up. Compress as many PDFs as you want.
07Does my PDF leave my computer?
No. Compression runs in your browser using pdf-lib and pdfjs. Wirelogs never gets a copy of the file, which keeps confidential reports and personal documents private.
08Will compression remove sensitive metadata?
The compression step re-saves the PDF, which strips most embedded metadata (creation tool, original filenames in attachments, etc.). Visible content is preserved as you'd expect.
Ready when you are
Drop a PDF, save the megabytes.
Drop a file into the tool above, pick a level, and download the smaller version. The original on your disk is never touched.
- ~55%typical savings
- 100 MBmax file size
- $0now and always