How to reduce PDF file size

Why is my PDF so large?

A text-only PDF is usually a few hundred kilobytes. What makes a file heavy is the images inside it: phone photos of documents, pages scanned at high resolution and large pictures from presentations. A single photographed page can be 3 to 4 MB.

So compressing a PDF really means re-compressing its images. Text, tables and layout stay as they are.

Steps to compress a PDF to a target size

1. 1Open quillo.tr/compress-pdf and choose or drop your PDF.
2. 2Type the limit in the target size box, for example 2 (MB). Or pick Sharp, Balanced or Smallest yourself.
3. 3Check the on-screen estimate and press Compress.
4. 4Download the new file: same name and pages, smaller size.

Which level should I pick?

With a target size, the tool picks the highest quality that fits under the limit, which is the best choice most of the time. If you'd rather choose: Sharp for contracts where small print and signatures must stay crisp, Balanced for everyday documents, and Smallest for scans that only need to be legible.

If it still won't shrink

A small, text-only PDF has little to gain because there are no images to compress. In that case remove pages you don't need with quillo.tr/delete-pdf-pages, or split the document at quillo.tr/split-pdf and send the parts separately.

Compress a PDF on your phone

The same page works in iPhone and Android browsers. The file is processed on your phone, so there's no upload wait and you don't send a large file over mobile data.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a PDF under 1 MB?

For most scanned documents, yes. Type 1 as the target; if the result is still large because of many pages, try splitting the document.

Will the text get blurry?

Text isn't recompressed; only images are. The Sharp level keeps small print and signatures clear.

Is compressing PDFs free?

Yes. No account, no limit on files or size and no watermark.

Is my file uploaded to a server?

No. Compression happens in your browser, on your own device.