Heavy PDF compression
Shrink a photo-heavy PDF to a much smaller file. Basic Compress PDF runs in your browser. Heavy compress uploads your PDF to our server and scales the photos inside down to about 150 DPI (dots per inch). Text stays sharp and selectable.
Your file is uploaded to our server and deleted within 30 minutes.
Heavy compress needs a $6 day pass or a $60 year plan. The free file offer is only for PDF to Word.
Uploads to our server
This tool needs a pass. A $6 day pass gives you 24 hours of server tools. You pay once, and it does not renew.
How to make a PDF much smaller
Heavy compress makes a photo-heavy PDF much smaller by shrinking the pictures inside it. Our server scales color and gray photos sharper than 225 DPI (dots per inch) down to about 150 DPI, which still looks good on a screen. Black-and-white images are scaled to about 300 DPI. Photos are saved as JPEG, a common photo format that keeps files small. Text is not turned into pictures, so you can still select and search it. A PDF that is mostly text may not get smaller, and it can even grow. The download is always named compressed.pdf.
This tool uploads your PDF to our server. It does not run in your browser. We keep your PDF and compressed.pdf only long enough to send you the result. We delete both within 30 minutes. The working copies made during compression are deleted as soon as the job ends, even if it fails. We keep a short record of the job: the page count, your account email, a scrambled code made from your network address, and ID numbers for the deleted files. That record never holds what was in your file.
Heavy compress is never free. Before it runs, you need an active $6 day pass or $60 year. Buy one on this page, or sign in to the account that has one. The day pass is charged once, lasts 24 hours, and does not renew. The year lasts 365 days. Each file can have up to 20 pages, even with a pass. Your one free server file is a PDF to Word conversion, on its own page. Compression has 60 seconds to finish. For a quick shrink with no upload, try Compress PDF. It runs in your browser for free.
What if my PDF will not compress? If you did not choose a file, or the file is not a PDF or cannot be opened, the page asks you to choose a PDF. Try another file. If the file has no pages, the page tells you. If it has more than 20 pages, split it first with Split PDF. If you do not have an active pass, the page asks you to get a $6 day pass or $60 year, or to sign in to the account that has one. If compression fails or takes longer than 60 seconds, the page says heavy compress is not available. Try again later, or use Compress PDF in your browser. If our server cannot take files right now, nothing is uploaded.
Questions about OCR for PDF
Will every photo get smaller?
No. Only color and gray photos sharper than 225 DPI are scaled down, to about 150 DPI. Smaller JPEG photos may pass through as they are. Black-and-white images are scaled to about 300 DPI. Text stays text, so a PDF that is mostly text may not shrink, and it can grow.
Is heavy compress free?
No. Heavy compress is never the free file. Your one free server file is a PDF to Word conversion, up to 20 pages, for a PDF with text you can select. For a free option, use Compress PDF in your browser. This page checks for an active pass before it starts.
What do you keep after my files are deleted?
Within 30 minutes, we delete your PDF and compressed.pdf. We also log when each file was deleted. We keep a short record of the job: the page count, your account email, and file ID numbers. That record is not deleted, but it never holds what was in your file.
What does a pass change for heavy compress?
You need an active pass before your first file. The $6 day pass is charged once, lasts 24 hours, and does not renew. The $60 year lasts 365 days. If you cancel the year, the next charge stops, and you keep access until the end date. The year you already paid for is not refunded. Both passes keep the 20-page limit.