Compress a PDF and reduce its size

Shrink your PDF by choosing the exact balance between size and quality.

Drop your files here

or pick them from your device

Your files never leave this device.

How it works

01
Pick the PDF you want to shrink.
02
Choose a level: lossless, light, balanced or maximum.
03
Compare the before and after size and download the result.

Adaptive compression engineering

Technical optimization criteria and compression modes

The engine evaluates whether the PDF is built with vector typography or raster bitmaps. In 'Lossless' mode, it rebuilds XRef tables, strips unreferenced objects, and recompresses Deflate streams preserving 100% of text and vectors. In visual modes, it dynamically applies canvas subsampling tailored to target resolutions.

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Recommended use cases

Email delivery constrained by 10 MB to 25 MB gateway limits.
Portal submissions with strict ceilings (Moodle ≤ 5 MB, Court systems ≤ 10 MB, Job boards ≤ 2 MB).
Web optimization ensuring fast mobile document previews.

Technical constraints & trade-offs

Visual presets rasterize canvas pages; text will no longer be selectable via Ctrl+F. Choose 'Lossless' to preserve font vectors.
Pure-text documents without embedded photographs experience minimal reduction (1-5%) because text glyph tables are already dense.

Pro Tip

If your PDF combines technical CAD schematics with photography, test 'Light' or 'Lossless' first. BreadPDF automatically rejects any run that would increase file size.

Private in-browser processing with zero remote network upload

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Frequently asked questions

Does compressing a PDF degrade visual quality?

It depends on the chosen mode. In 'Lossless' mode, nothing is recompressed: internal PDF structures are streamlined while text and vectors remain untouched. In Light, Balanced, and Strong modes, pages are rendered as images with optimized resolution to achieve substantial file size reduction.

What is the difference between the four compression levels?

'Lossless' preserves selectable text and the native structure; 'Light' provides modest size reduction with maximum visual fidelity; 'Balanced' is the recommended setting for general email sharing; and 'Strong' achieves the smallest possible size for platforms with strict upload limits.

What happens if the compressed file ends up larger than the original?

BreadPDF incorporates an automatic safeguard: if image-based compression would yield a larger file (common with pure text PDFs), the system discards the increase and applies structural lossless optimization to ensure your file never gains weight.

Can I check how much file size was saved before downloading?

Yes. Once processing finishes, BreadPDF displays the original size, the final generated size, and the exact percentage of space saved so you can review the result before saving.

Can text still be selected and copied after balanced or strong compression?

In Light, Balanced, and Strong modes, pages are processed as optimized images, which flattens selectable text. If you need text to remain copyable or searchable with Ctrl+F, always select 'Lossless' mode.

Are my files uploaded to an external server?

No. All PDF compression and page processing runs locally in your browser memory via JavaScript. Confidential documents never leave your computer or phone.

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Repair PDF

Recover damaged documents by reconstructing their structure and cross-reference table.

Flatten PDF

Turn interactive form fields and widgets into permanent, non-editable text and graphics.

Remove PDF Metadata

Wipe hidden author, software, dates, and sensitive document properties.

Resize PDF Pages

Standardize your PDF page dimensions to A4, US Letter, or Legal.

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