Compress PDF
Make your PDF smaller — pick a level and download. Scanned pages are re-encoded; pages with real text keep it selectable. Free, no watermark, no signup.
Files never leave your device.How it works
How to compress a PDF
- Drop your PDF above (or click to select).
- Choose a compression level (Recommended is a good balance).
- Click Compress, see how much smaller it got, then download.
Frequently asked questions
- Do my files get uploaded anywhere?
- No. Compression runs entirely in your browser — your PDF never leaves your device.
- Will the text stay selectable?
- Yes. Pages with real text keep it — only the images on them are re-encoded. Scanned pages are re-encoded as images.
- Can I hit a specific file size?
- Yes — use the target-size version to compress to a limit like 100 KB, 200 KB, 500 KB, or 1 MB.
Smaller PDFs, without wrecking them
Big PDFs bounce off email limits, upload slowly, and eat storage — usually because of high-resolution images or scanned pages saved at far more detail than anyone needs on screen. HivePDF's compressor targets exactly that: it looks at each page and re-encodes the images, keeping the parts that matter. The result is a much smaller file, produced entirely in your browser, with no watermark and no account.
Why your text stays selectable
Many compressors flatten every page into a picture, which destroys selectable text and accessibility. HivePDF classifies each page first. A page with real text keeps that text — only its embedded images are downscaled and re-encoded. A scanned page is re-encoded as an image at a sensible resolution. Pages that are pure text are left alone. Your document's outline, links, and form fields survive the process.
Levels and honesty
Choose High quality to barely touch it, Recommended for a strong balance, or Small file to squeeze hardest. We never hand back a file that ended up larger than the original — if a PDF is already lean, we say so instead of pretending. Everything runs locally, so sensitive documents never leave your device.