How to reduce a PDF file size and check the result
Note: This guide is general information, not professional advice. Check the requirements of the institution, platform or service that will receive the file.
A PDF can be large because it contains high-resolution photos, many pages or embedded resources. Before reducing it, decide what must remain intact: readable text, required pages, searchable text and signatures. No fixed percentage of size reduction can be promised for every file.
Choose an approach that fits the document
- Photos assembled into a PDF: if you still have the originals, make copies with smaller dimensions or carefully reduced image quality, then create a new PDF.
- PDF with unnecessary pages: extract only the pages the recipient requires, if that is allowed. This removes content; it is not compression.
- Small, text-based PDF: there may be little to save. Turning pages into images can make the file larger and remove text search.
- Signed PDF: keep the original. Re-saving, splitting or merging a document can affect signature validation.
What you can do on this site
The PDF converter can split pages, merge documents and convert formats. It does not have a PDF-compression button. The image-to-PDF tool creates a new document from photos; it does not automatically reduce an existing PDF.
To recompress an existing PDF, use the PDF compressor. The file is temporarily sent to the server; the tool offers quality levels and compares the resulting size. A smaller file is not guaranteed. Review the privacy information and keep signed originals.
- PDF compressor (Portuguese) — Uploads the PDF temporarily to the server.
- PDF converter (Portuguese) — Split, merge and convert PDF files.
Example: the form accepts 5 MB and your file is 12 MB
- Check the limit shown on the form. Do not assume every service accepts the same file size.
- Open the original and count its pages. If every page is required, do not remove pages just to meet a limit.
- If the PDF came from photos, make smaller copies of the original images and create a new PDF. Keep the highest-quality photos.
- Compare the new file size with the 5 MB limit. This is a target to assess, not a guaranteed result.
- Before sending it, open the result and check small numbers, accents, stamps, margins and page order.
How to tell whether the quality is good enough
View the PDF at the size at which it will be used and zoom in to inspect details. If it will be printed, test one page. Blurred letters, ambiguous numbers or cropped edges are reasons to return to the original and use a gentler reduction.
If the original had selectable text, try selecting it and searching for a word in the result. A file converted entirely into images does not preserve searchable text.
Continue with PDF tools
Explore the available tools and check each tool’s limits and processing details. ConverteArq tools.
Frequently asked questions
Why did the file get larger?
A new export may store images and fonts differently. If the result is larger or worse, go back to the original instead of repeatedly compressing the new copy.
Does merging PDFs compress them?
No. Merging copies pages into a new document. Its size can change, but a smaller file is not guaranteed.
What should I do if the result will not open?
Do not send it. Check that the download finished, try opening the copy in another reader and keep the original while you investigate.
Can I use confidential documents?
Check where the operation happens and read the chosen tool’s privacy notice. Prefer a local editor when you cannot share the file. A page may load libraries and ads even when PDF processing happens in the browser.