How to shrink a PDF file

Having to send fairly “full-bodied” PDFs via email, you have tried to reduce their weight by enclosing them in a ZIP archive. However, the result you got was not that great – the documents have kept their original size almost intact – and you don’t know how to deal with the problem.

To solve this, you can try to “lighten” directly the files you have to send rather than group them in a compressed archive. How? Read this guide of mine on how to shrink a PDF file and you will find out. Contrary to what one might think, it is by no means a complex operation.

All you have to do is use some programs, online services and apps suitable for the purpose, like the ones I’m about to tell you, and feed them the documents you want to compress. You will get really good results. But I warn you, do not expect miracles: if your documents are already well compressed, none of the solutions in question and more generally no tool of this type will be able to help you make a PDF file lighter, keep this in mind. For the rest, try the solutions listed below and tell me what you think!

Index

• How to shrink a PDF file for free
  • Free PDF Compressor (Windows)
  • ShrinkIt (macOS)
• How to shrink a PDF file online
  • iLovePDF
  • Other solutions to shrink a PDF file online
• How to shrink a PDF file with Android and iOS / iPadOS
  • Compress PDF (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
  • Other apps to shrink a PDF file with Android and iOS / iPadOS

How to shrink a PDF file for free

Want to find out what software for Windows and macOS you can use to shrink a PDF file for free? Then go ahead and read. Below you will find those that, in my humble opinion, represent the best instruments in the category.

Free PDF Compressor (Windows)

Let’s start this guide on how to shrink a PDF file that is too heavy by talking about Free PDF Compressor. It is a free program for Windows which, as easily understood from the name, allows you to compress files in PDF format that are given “at meal”. It is very simple to use and is effective even with documents consisting of text only.

To download the software on your computer, go to its website and click on the Download Mirror button on the left.

When the download is complete, open the .exe file obtained and, in the window you see appear on the desktop, click on the Yes and Next buttons. Then select the item I accept the agreement, click again on the Next button (four times in a row) and on the Install and Finish buttons, in order to complete the setup.

Now that you see the Free PDF Compressor window on your desktop, click on the Browse button to select the document you want to intervene in, then choose which method to use to shrink it from the Settings section between Screen (generates 72 dpi documents exclusively for viewing at screen), eBook (generates documents at 150 dpi optimized for ebook readers), Printer (generates files at a resolution of 300 dpi also suitable for printing), Prepress (preserves more colors than the Printer profile) or Default (generates PDF at highest possible quality).

Finally, click on the Save As button to specify the location to save the output file and press the Compress button to start the compression procedure. At the end of the process, click on the OK and Close buttons.

ShrinkIt (macOS)

If you want to shrink a PDF file on Mac , you can resort to using ShrinkIt . This is a free application specific to macOS , which allows you to “lighten” PDF files by simply dragging the documents into its main window.

To download the program to your computer, connect to its website and click the Download ShrinkIt xxx button.

Once the download is complete, extract the ZIP archive obtained in a position of your choice, drag the ShrinkIt icon to the MacOS Applications folder, right-click on it and select the Open item from the context menu, in order to start the program but go to circumvent the limitations desired by Apple against non-certified developers (an operation that must be performed only at the first start).

At this point, all you have to do is, as I had anticipated, drag the PDF relative to which you want to go and act on the ShrinkIt window that appears. This will create a compressed copy of the PDF in the same location as the source file.

How to shrink a PDF file online

You don’t want or can’t download new programs to your computer and would you like me to show you how to make a PDF file smaller online? Then read on. Below you will find those that, in my opinion, represent the best Web services used for this purpose, which can be used directly from the browser.

iLovePDF

To shrink a PDF file online, I recommend that you contact iLovePDF. It is a very simple web service to use, works from any browser and is free. It offers various tools through which it is possible to make changes to PDFs and, of course, also provides users with a tool to make this type of document smaller.

It is not mandatory to register, but it allows you to process only one file at a time. Its upload limit is a whopping 200MB. To get around these limitations and to unlock other extra functions, you can subscribe to one of the paid plans (with costs starting from 6 euros/month). As far as privacy is concerned, the documents uploaded to the service’s servers are automatically removed a few hours after the upload.

To use iLovePDF, connect to the home page of the service and drag the document you intend to act on into the browser window. Alternatively, or if dragging does not work, select the document “manually” by clicking on the Select PDF file button. Optionally, you can also select the PDF files you want to act on from your Dropbox or Google Drive account, simply by clicking on the relevant buttons.

Therefore, wait for the upload of the file to be completed and select the level of compression to be applied to it, by clicking on the relevant buttons on the right: Recommended compression (optimizes the size of the PDF to the maximum without affecting too negatively on its visual quality), Maximum compression (allows you to compress PDFs to the maximum at the expense of quality) and Less compression (puts quality first but generates quite heavy documents).

Next, click the Compress PDF button and wait for the PDF to be processed first and then automatically downloaded to your computer. In case the automatic file download does not start, proceed manually by pressing the Download optimized PDF button. Alternatively, click on the button with the Dropbox icon or the one with the Google Drive icon to save the compressed file directly to your account of the cloud storage service you generally use.

Other solutions to shrink a PDF file online

If you are looking for alternative solutions to make a PDF file smaller by acting online, you can contact the additional Web services listed below.

• PDF Candy-free and functioning web service without registration, which allows you to intervene on PDF files in various ways: by converting them, dividing them, unlocking them, etc. Of course, it also allows you to reduce the weight of your documents. It places no limitations on the maximum size of files that can be uploaded to it and also protects users’ privacy as documents are automatically deleted from the company’s servers within hours of uploading.
• Online2PDF– it is an online service at no cost and working without registration that allows you to intervene on PDF files by decreasing their size, merging them, rotating them etc. It allows you to upload up to 20 documents at a time for a total weight of 150 MB (but each uploaded file cannot exceed 100 MB) and protects users’ privacy by deleting all documents within 24 hours of uploading.
• PDF24– an additional online service through which you can reduce the size of PDFs and make various other changes to the type of file in question. It’s free, no registration required and no limits on uploading. Additionally, files uploaded to the service’s servers are removed within hours

How to shrink a PDF file with Android and iOS / iPadOS

Now let’s move on to the mobile side and let’s find out how to shrink a PDF file with Android and iOS / iPadOS using the appropriate apps.

Compress PDF (Android / iOS / iPadOS)

The first app I recommend you to test is Compress PDF. It is available for both Android and iOS / iPadOS and allows you to intervene on PDF files and reduce their weight. However, it should be borne in mind that it takes 1 hour to complete the compression procedure, regardless of the weight of the original document. To get around this limitation and take advantage of other extra features, you need to switch to the paid version, through in-app purchases (at a cost of 10.99 euros).

To download and install the app on your device, if you are using Android, access the relevant section of the Play Store and tap the Install button (if there is no Play Store on your device, you can get the app from an alternative store ). If you are using iOS / iPadOS, on the other hand, access the relevant section of the App Store, tap the Get button, then the Install button and authorize the download via Face ID, Touch ID or password of your Apple ID. Then start the app by selecting its icon which has been added to the home screen.

Now that you see the main screen of Compress PDF, if you are using Android, press the (+) button, select the location from which to take the PDF to be compressed and the document, while if you are using iOS / iPadOS select the location and file directly.

Then, choose the Free option and wait for the compression procedure to start and complete. At the end of the process, a checkmark will appear in correspondence with the PDF and by tapping on it you can save the file obtained in a location of your choice or in another app. It was easy, wasn’t it?

Other apps to shrink a PDF file with Android and iOS / iPadOS

Are you looking for workarounds by which you can shrink a PDF from your mobile device? Then try out the additional apps I’ve taken steps to include in the list below. I am sure they will be able to satisfy you.

• Smallpdf( Android / iOS / iPadOS ) – cross-platform app that integrates several tools for managing PDFs. Thanks to it, in fact, it is possible to merge PDFs, divide them, remove one or more pages, compress them etc. Basically, it is free and the creation of an account is not required, but it allows you to work on only one document at a time and applies other limitations that can be unlocked by subscribing through in-app purchases (at a cost of 12.99 euros/month).
• PDF Compressor( Android ) – a totally free app for Android devices only through which you can compress files in PDF format, choosing between different qualities. It is particularly effective for graphic PDFs and those obtained from scanned photos. Note that no Internet connection is required for this to work.
• PDF Expert( iOS / iPadOS ) – app for iPhone and iPad only that acts as a PDF file viewer and that also integrates many tools to annotate and edit documents belonging to the aforementioned type, as well as to create new ones. Of course, it also offers a special function to reduce the size of PDFs. Basically, it is free, but to take advantage of all the features offered you need to subscribe to a paid subscription through in-app purchases (at a cost of 52.99 euros/year).