Getting under the 25 MB Gmail cap
Gmail bounces attachments over 25 MB. A 32 MB proposal compresses to 11 MB at medium quality — text-readable, photos still sharp at on-screen sizes.
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PDF Compressor
Reduce PDF file size in-browser and download a smaller PDF quickly.
- 100% local
- No signup
- Works offline once loaded
- 1Upload
- 2Set quality
- 3Download
≤250 MB
Drag and drop your file
or pick from your device
Non-encrypted PDFs · processed locally
55%
LightBalancedMaximum
What this does
Shrink a PDF down to email-friendly size — without crushing it into pixel mush.
Pick a compression intensity, drop in your PDF, and download a smaller version. We optimize image streams (the part that actually causes 30 MB PDFs), leave text crisp, and run everything in your browser so nothing uploads. Most real-world PDFs shrink by 40–80%.
How to compress a PDF
Optimal settings for the three most common scenarios.
- 1
Pick your intensity
Light (75) keeps near-original quality and trims 20–40%. Medium (55, our default) is what most people want — text stays crisp, images get re-encoded, total size drops 50–70%. Aggressive (35) is for when you need to fit a 50 MB packet under Gmail's 25 MB cap and don't care if photos look slightly soft.
- 2
Drop in your PDF
Click or drag your file into the dropzone. We've tested files up to 500 MB; below 100 MB compresses in under 10 seconds on a modern laptop.
- 3
Download the smaller version
The compressed PDF appears with a side-by-side size comparison and percent reduction. Your original is untouched — if you don't like the result, lower the intensity and try again.
Same source file, four intensity settings. Hover/tap the bars to see exact savings.
Original
32.0 MB
Light (75)
intensity 75 · 22.4 MB-30%
Medium (55)
intensity 55 · 11.4 MB-64%
Aggressive (35)
intensity 35 · 5.8 MB-82%
Sweet spot
Medium (55) — keeps text crisp and photos clear, saves ~65%.
Gmail-cap fix
Aggressive (35) — fits a 30 MB file under the 25 MB email cap.
Print-quality
Light (75) — barely loses sharpness, safe for client previews.
Privacy
PDFs with bank statements, contracts, or medical records stay on your device
Most PDF compressors upload your file to a server, run Ghostscript or similar in the cloud, and download the result. We don't. Compression happens inside your browser using a WebAssembly build of the same libraries — no upload, no temporary storage on a server you don't control.
- No file uploaded to any server
- Works on Gmail attachments, signed contracts, IRS docs, lab reports
- No "processed file deleted after X hours" — there's nothing to delete
- Compatible with HIPAA / GDPR data handling rules
When you'd compress a PDF
Application forms that cap at 5 or 10 MB
Government applications, university admissions, and HR systems often reject files over 5–10 MB. A scanned passport packet at 18 MB drops to 4 MB at aggressive setting.
Archiving old project files
Five years of scanned receipts and contracts eat hard-drive space. Batch-compress them to ~30% of original size; OCR and search still work.
Sending over hotel or coffee-shop Wi-Fi
Uploading a 60 MB merger over 5 Mbps Wi-Fi takes ages. Compress to 15 MB first, then upload — usually 4x faster end-to-end including the compression step.
Sending design proofs by link
A 40-page brochure proof at print quality is 80 MB. Compress to 12 MB for an emailable preview; keep the high-res version for final delivery.
PDFs sized for phone reading
Phone screens don't need 600 DPI image data. Compressing first means faster opens, less data, less battery on flights and trains.
How this compares to other PDF compressors
We benchmarked a 32 MB photo-heavy PDF across the major free tools.
| Feature | BulkShare | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs in your browser | Yes | No | No | No | Yes(partial) |
| Files uploaded to server | Never | Yes | Yes | Yes | Optional |
| Compression intensity control | Slider 1–100 | 3 presets | 3 presets | 2 presets(Pro = 3) | 5 presets |
| 32 MB photo PDF → result | 11.4 MB(64% off) | 10.2 MB | 13.1 MB | 9.8 MB | 12.7 MB |
| Account required | No | After 2/day | Yes | After 2/day | No |
| File-size cap (free) | No cap | 100 MB | 100 MB | 5 GB total | 300 MB |
| OCR text remains searchable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works offline once loaded | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Tips for better compression
- 01
Scans compress more than digital exports
PDFs born from a scanner are full of redundant image data and compress dramatically — often 70–85%. PDFs exported from Word, Figma, or design tools are already optimized; expect 20–40% savings.
- 02
If text gets fuzzy, drop intensity
At intensity below 30, image-based text (scans) may lose readability. The fix is to back off intensity to 45–55 — the file is still much smaller than the original, with text still readable.
- 03
Already-compressed PDFs barely shrink
If a PDF was already compressed (saved with "reduce file size" in Acrobat, or downloaded from a server that re-compresses), there's almost nothing left to optimize. Don't expect more than 5–10% savings.
- 04
Compress before merging, not after
If you're merging 10 PDFs, compress each first then merge — that way browser memory only holds smaller files in RAM. Otherwise huge merges can crash mid-process.
- 05
For photo-heavy PDFs, convert to JPG first
If a PDF is really just photos in a wrapper, exporting the photos as separate JPGs and rebuilding the PDF often beats any compressor. Use our JPG-to-PDF tool after exporting.
More free tools for the handoff.
ZIP File Creator
Upload multiple files, create one ZIP archive, rename it, and download instantly.
Compression Toolkit
Compress real files in-browser with dedicated PDF, Docs, and Image subtools.
Client Delivery Email Generator
Generate a clean client-ready email with link, access steps, and support info.
PDF Merge
Combine multiple PDFs into a single file. Drag, reorder, merge — fully in your browser.
PDF Split
Split a PDF into individual pages or custom page ranges. Browser-only, no upload.
JPG to PDF Converter
Convert one or many images into a single PDF with proper page order.
Frequently asked
This mode focuses on structural optimization first, so visual quality usually stays close to original.
Yes, but scanned/image-heavy PDFs may shrink less than text-based PDFs depending on source quality.
Yes. You can use it directly in your browser without installing desktop software.
No. Compression runs in-browser so your file stays on your device during processing.
There's no fixed cap — processing happens in your browser, so very large files (500MB+) depend on your device's memory. Most contract and report PDFs compress in seconds.
If a PDF is mostly text or was already optimized, there's little left to squeeze. The big wins come from PDFs full of high-resolution images — those routinely drop 50–80%.
Recompression can invalidate digital signatures because the file bytes change. If a document carries a legal e-signature, send the original — through a size-unlimited link if email rejects it.
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