The document workshop / Quality

Compress a PDF Without Wrecking It

How to keep pages clear while making the file smaller — and what the trade-off really is.

A transformed copy trades PDF functionality and some visual detail for a smaller delivery file. The tool renders each visible page and JPEG-encodes it. Legibility depends on the source, viewing conditions and mode, so inspect the smallest important text, lines and photographs rather than relying on a quality label.

In a rasterised output, text and OCR become part of the page image. Selection and search are lost; links, forms, vector lines, accessibility tags and existing digital signatures are not preserved as live features. An original kept unchanged retains its source features. Keep that source when function or exact reproduction matters.

Choose by how the file will be used. High Quality starts with the highest resolution and JPEG quality settings, but it is still a lossy image workflow. Email and Under 25MB also use colour; Under 5MB, Under 10MB, Fast and Remove metadata may choose grayscale, and Scanned forces it. A larger output is not automatically the clearer one.

Match the mode to the task.

Targets are best effort. The final size and warnings are shown with your result.

Choose an approach
Your situation	Mode	What to expect
Printing or a portfolio	High Quality	Highest starting resolution and JPEG quality, in colour. Check the result at its intended print or zoom scale.
Everyday screen viewing or email	Email	Balanced colour settings without a numeric target. Measure the saving and inspect readability.
A scanned black-and-white document	Scanned	Forces grayscale on transformed pages. Colour information is lost; inspect fine print and handwriting.
A quick draft to share fast	Fast	A single quick pass when speed matters more than squeezing out every byte.
Must stay editable or searchable	High Quality	No rasterised output preserves live text. An unchanged original does; use it or an object-aware workflow when search is required.

Articles & resources.

Read further before choosing your settings.

No specific articles published for this topic yet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does compression keep the original quality?

A rasterised copy re-encodes visible pages as JPEG and can soften fine detail. It also removes live PDF features. An original kept unchanged has no transformation; keep it when exact fidelity matters.

Will my text still be selectable afterward?

It remains selectable only when the original is kept unchanged. A rasterised copy loses selectable text and OCR. Keep the source if you need search, extraction or accessibility.

How do I get the best-looking result?

Use High Quality mode and always start from your original file, never a previously compressed copy. Re-compressing an already-compressed PDF only adds softness for little size saving.

Put the advice to work.

Mode: Email. Review the result before sharing your file.

Start compressing