PDF & image tools
Compress PDF
Make a large PDF small enough for email (usually 20-25 MB) or an upload form that only accepts 2 or 5 MB. Light mode tidies the file and keeps text selectable; Recommended and Strong turn each page into an optimized image, which shrinks scans and photo-heavy PDFs the most.
How to use the Compress PDF
- Choose the PDF.
- Pick a level: Light, Recommended or Strong.
- Press “Compress and download”.
- Check the size shown and try a stronger level if needed.
Formula
Example
A 14 MB phone scan of a 6-page form drops to about 1.5-2.5 MB on Recommended - small enough for most government and HR portals.
Which level should I pick?
- Light - text documents made on a computer; small saving, everything stays selectable
- Recommended - scans, photos, brochures; big saving, still clear to read and print
- Strong - when a form has a strict limit like 1 or 2 MB
Still too big?
Split the PDF into parts with Split PDF, or shrink photos before you make the PDF with the image compressor.
Related free tools
Frequently asked questions
Why did my file not get smaller?
Text-only PDFs made by Word or Google Docs are often already efficient. In that case the tool keeps your original and tells you so.
Can I still search the text after compression?
On Light, yes. Recommended and Strong turn pages into images, so the text cannot be selected or searched.
Is my document uploaded?
No. Compression happens entirely in your browser.
Will it work on a phone?
Yes, on modern Android and iPhone browsers. Very long PDFs are faster on a computer.
Your files are processed on your own device and are never uploaded to Soft2Cloud or anyone else.
Last updated: November 2026