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Justools

Free, private browser tools for everyday tasks.

PDF tools

  • Merge PDF
  • Split PDF
  • Organize PDF
  • Rotate PDF
  • Delete PDF Pages
  • Add Page Numbers
  • Watermark PDF
  • Image to PDF
  • PDF to JPG
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  • Remove PDF Password
  • Compress PDF
  • Protect PDF
  • PDF to Text
  • Crop PDF
  • Flatten PDF

Image tools

  • Image Converter
  • JPG to PNG
  • PNG to JPG
  • JPG to WebP
  • WebP to JPG
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  • Image to WebP
  • Image Cropper
  • Lasso Crop
  • Remove Photo Metadata
  • SVG Optimizer
  • Resize Image
  • Compress Image
  • Remove Background
  • Image to Text

Developer tools

  • JSON Formatter
  • CSV to JSON
  • Hash Generator
  • Base64
  • URL Encode
  • Timestamp Converter
  • Diff Text
  • Case Converter
  • Word Counter
  • Color Contrast
  • Unit Converter

Utility tools

  • QR Code Generator
  • Trim Video
  • Merge Video
  • Screen Recorder
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Creative tools

  • Coloring Pages
  • Graph Paper Generator
  • Spin the Wheel

Calculators

  • Cost of Raising a Child Calculator
  • Calorie Deficit Calculator
  • BMI Calculator
  • Age Calculator
  • Date Calculator
  • City Time Converter
  • Scientific Calculator
  • Fraction Calculator
  • Cost of Living (20 countries)
  • Budget Planner
  • Pay Raise Calculator

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Compress PDF

Shrink large scanned PDFs so they fit email and upload limits without opening desktop software.

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Other useful tools

Free tools that often go together. Everything runs in your browser.

  • PDF toolsPDF to TextExtract text to TXT
  • PDF toolsProtect PDFAdd an open password
  • PDF toolsMerge PDFCombine PDFs in your browser
  • PDF toolsImage to PDFTurn images into a PDF
  • PDF toolsPDF to JPGConvert pages to JPG images
  • PDF toolsSplit PDFExtract pages or split to ZIP

How to use this tool

  1. Upload one PDF.
  2. Choose High, Medium, or Low compression. High keeps more detail, Low makes smaller files.
  3. Click Compress PDF and save the rebuilt PDF when the download starts.

Frequently asked questions

What does the compress PDF tool do?▾

Compress PDF shrinks a PDF's file size so it is easier to email, upload, or store. Many email providers reject attachments over 20 or 25 MB, and government portals, job boards, and school platforms often cap PDF uploads too. The tool re-renders each page as a compressed JPEG image at your chosen quality, then rebuilds a smaller PDF from those images. It works especially well on scanned contracts, photographed receipts, or files with large embedded pictures, where most of the size comes from images rather than text. A 40 MB scanned lease agreement, for example, can often shrink to a few megabytes at medium quality while staying readable on screen and in print.

Who needs to compress a PDF, and when?▾

Real estate agents shrink scanned lease agreements before emailing them to clients. Job seekers compress resumes and portfolios so they fit application portals with strict upload limits. Students and researchers reduce scanned lab reports or textbook chapters before submitting them through a course website. Small businesses compress invoice and receipt scans before archiving thousands of them in cloud storage. In each case the goal is the same: keep the document readable while cutting the file size enough to attach, upload, or store without hitting a limit.

How does PDF compression work here?▾

The tool renders each page to a JPEG image at your selected quality, then rebuilds a new PDF from those images. This approach works best on scanned or image-heavy PDFs, since most of the reduction comes from compressing pictures rather than text.

Which compression preset should I choose?▾

Use High for documents you might print or that contain fine detail, Medium for everyday sharing and email, and Low when file size matters more than image quality, such as a quick preview copy.

Will my PDF still have selectable text after compressing?▾

Usually no. Because this method turns each page into an image, selectable text, links, and form fields from the original PDF will not remain interactive in the compressed copy.

Why did my PDF get larger instead of smaller?▾

Some PDFs are already well compressed or made mostly of vector text and line art rather than images. Re-rendering those pages as JPEGs can add size instead of removing it, so compression helps most with scan-heavy or photo-heavy files.

Is my PDF uploaded to compress it?▾

No. Rendering, compression, and rebuilding the PDF all happen in your browser. Justools does not receive or store your document.

What are the file limits?▾

One PDF up to 25 MB and 200 pages per job, matching our other PDF tools.

Processed locally in your browser. Your files are never uploaded to our servers.