Compress · Quality-preserving modes
Compress PDFs Without Losing Quality.
Most "make it smaller" tools flatten everything into a blur. PDF Pro gives you four modes — Keep Text, Mixed, Scanned, Smallest — so you pick the quality / size trade-off that actually fits your document. Compression runs in your browser, so the source PDF never leaves your device.
Looking to compress a PDF without losing quality? PDF Pro's four compression modes each target a specific document type — text-heavy contracts, mixed business reports, scanned archives, or files that have to hit a strict size. Pick the mode, preserve what matters. If you need to hit a strict upload limit, you can also use our PDF to 1 MB compression workflow, or convert PDF pages into images if a JPG set works better for your target.
tuneFour modes for four real cases
text_fieldsText layer preserved where it exists
devicesRuns in your browser
Four modes, four real use cases
Each mode exists because one-slider compression can't serve every document equally. Pick the one that matches what's inside your PDF.
Keep Text — text stays text
The Keep Text mode leaves the text layer untouched and re-encodes only images. Search, copy-paste, and highlight still work in the output. Best for contracts, reports, and any document where the words are the content.
Mixed — the everyday default
Mixed mode re-encodes images at a balanced quality setting while keeping the text layer crisp. Most business documents compress well here without visible degradation.
Scanned — tuned for image-only PDFs
Scanned mode is for documents that are pure page images (scans, fax output, photos of paper). Image compression does all the work because there's no text layer to protect.
Runs on your device
Compression executes in WebAssembly inside your browser tab. The PDF is never uploaded to PDF Pro or any third party — sensitive documents stay with you.
Why PDF Pro instead of other tools
The differences that matter for quality-preserving compression — all real, not marketing.
No upload, ever
Most online compressors upload your file to their servers. PDF Pro runs entirely in WebAssembly inside your browser — the file never leaves your device.
Four real modes, not one slider
A contract and a scanned receipt shouldn't compress the same way. PDF Pro's four modes target the actual structure of your document, not a single setting applied blindly.
Text layer preserved by default
Keep Text and Mixed modes guarantee your embedded text stays selectable and searchable after compression. No rasterization, no lost accessibility.
No account required to try
Drop a PDF and compress. Signup only unlocks higher file-size limits and batch operations — the core tool works anonymously.
How it works
Three steps from drop to download.
1
Drop your PDF
It loads into your browser — not onto a server.
2
Pick the mode that fits
Keep Text for text-heavy documents, Mixed for everyday reports, Scanned for image-only scans, Smallest when the file size has to shrink no matter what.
3
Review and download
You see the before and after file size. If the result is still too large for your quality bar, switch modes and compress again.
Use cases
Pick the mode that matches what's in your file.
Legal contract or signed agreement
Use Keep Text so every clause stays searchable and copy-paste-able for e-discovery or redlines. The text layer stays byte-identical to the original.
Business report with charts and screenshots
Use Mixed for a clean size reduction without turning the text into mush. Charts and images re-encode at a balanced quality; the document reads the same. Need to mark up sections before circulating? Annotate the PDF first, then compress.
Scanned receipt batch or archived paperwork
Use Scanned — the whole page is image data, so aggressive image compression is exactly the right tool. Readability stays intact at moderate ratios. If you have multiple receipts, merge them into one PDF before compressing.
Document that has to squeeze into a hard size cap
Use Smallest only when you accept visible quality loss in exchange for the absolute minimum file size. Or try the dedicated 1 MB compression workflow if that's your target.
Honest limitations
- If the source is a scan with no underlying text layer, we cannot make text sharper — we compress the image, and what was legible stays legible, what was blurry stays blurry.
- Very small files (under 200 KB) usually can't compress further; we tell you rather than pretend.
- Smallest mode is intentionally aggressive. For documents where crispness matters (pitch decks, design reviews), stay on Mixed or Keep Text.
Related tools
Online lossy compressor vs this live race
Same goal — shrink a PDF without losing quality. Watch both paths finish.
Online lossy compressor
Server re-encodes every image
- Upload PDF to server
- Server re-encodes imagesLossy
- Quality drops on recompressDegraded
- Download smaller but worse file
- Original + result retainedRetained
Bytes uploaded
0 MB
Quality drops
Yes
Server copies
2
This tool
Structural, quality-preserving
- Drop PDF in browserInstant
- Local structural compressLossless
- Save — full quality keptDone
check_circle
Already compressed — full quality intact.
No upload. No re-encoding. No quality loss from server pipelines.
Bytes uploaded
0 MB
Quality drops
None
Server copies
0
Animation runs once per view — tap replay to watch again.
Frequently asked questions
How much can I compress a PDF without losing quality?
It depends on what's in it. Image-heavy PDFs in Mixed mode usually shrink 40–70% with no visible difference at normal zoom. Text-only PDFs shrink less — often 10–25% — because the text layer is already efficient. If you want guaranteed zero quality change to text, use Keep Text mode.
Which compression mode should I use?
Keep Text for contracts and reports where words are the content. Mixed for most everyday documents with a text / image balance. Scanned for pure image PDFs (no text layer). Smallest only when you need the absolute minimum size and accept visible quality loss. If you're aiming at a specific upload ceiling, see the 1 MB compression guide for mode recommendations by file type.
What does Keep Text mode do exactly?
Keep Text leaves the embedded text layer untouched — fonts, character positions, and selectable text stay exactly as-is. It only re-encodes images. The result is a smaller file that still reads, searches, and copies identically to the original.
Does compression make text blurry?
Not in Keep Text or Mixed modes — the text layer is preserved as text, not rasterized. Text only becomes blurry if the source is a scan (an image of text) and you use aggressive image compression on it; in that case, quality loss is from the scan, not from the compression of text.
Can I compress scanned PDFs without losing readability?
Use Scanned mode, which is tuned for image-only documents. It preserves readability at moderate compression ratios. For very tight size targets, Smallest mode compresses more aggressively but may introduce artifacts — preview the output before sharing sensitive documents.
Is my file uploaded when I compress?
No. Compression runs entirely in your browser via WebAssembly. The PDF is not uploaded to PDF Pro or any third party. Same local-only model as the no-upload compressor page.
How do I compress a PDF without losing quality on Windows?
Open this page in Chrome, Edge, or Firefox on Windows 10 or 11, drop the PDF, pick Keep Text or Mixed mode, and download. No installer, no admin permission — the lossless pipeline runs on your Windows CPU. If you need to combine files first, merge them locally, then compress the result.
How do I compress a PDF without losing quality on Mac?
Open this page in Safari, Chrome, or Firefox on macOS and drop the PDF. The compression runs on the Mac's CPU — no Preview export, no Automator workflow, no third-party app. Keep Text mode preserves typography perfectly so reports and contracts stay pixel-crisp.
Can I compress a PDF offline without losing quality?
Yes. Load the page once with a network connection, then switch to airplane mode — the compressor continues to work because it runs entirely in the browser. Offline success directly proves nothing is uploaded. See other conversions that work offline for more on the offline-first model.
Is there a file-count or size limit?
No artificial cap. Practical limits come from your device memory — typical office PDFs (under 50 MB) compress in 2–5 seconds on a modern laptop. Much larger scans may take longer but there's no per-job throttle. Same unlimited model as the free size-reduction tool.
Will the compressed PDF still work in Acrobat, Preview, and on mobile?
Yes. pdf-lib produces a fully valid PDF with standard cross-reference tables, metadata, text layer, and bookmarks intact. Adobe Acrobat, Apple Preview, Chrome / Edge / Firefox, Foxit, and iOS / Android PDF viewers all read it as a regular PDF.
Can I compress a password-protected PDF without losing quality?
Yes, if you provide the password. Since everything runs in the browser, the password never travels over any network. Unlock → compress in Keep Text mode → optionally re-apply the password before saving — all local.
Is this lossless compressor free?
Yes — free, no signup, no daily cap, no watermark on the output. The compression runs on your device, so there's no per-job server cost to recover through pricing tiers. Paid tiers only unlock AI-powered features that we actually pay for per request.
What's the difference between "without losing quality" and "to 1 MB"?
"Without losing quality" is fidelity-first: preserve every character and visible image, accept whatever size comes out. "To 1 MB" is target-first: hit a hard upload cap, accept some image quality loss if needed. If your upload form needs a specific size, use the 1 MB target guide; if quality matters more, stay here.
What's the best PDF compressor that doesn't lose quality?
One that keeps the original text layer as text (not rasterized), re-encodes only the embedded images at a quality you control, and runs locally so sensitive documents don't leave your device. This tool meets all three. For related workflows: no-upload compressor, format conversions, or the full hub at PDF tools without uploading files.
Pick a mode. Keep the quality. Ship smaller files.
Four modes, your choice, all local. Drop a PDF and see the size difference in about 3 seconds.
compressCompress a PDF