Compress PDF, keep text

Shrink the images inside a PDF while the text stays selectable. Free on WholeFiles, with no sign-up, no watermark and no daily limit.

Runs on our server. Your file is deleted within 10 minutes.Last reviewed 22 September 2026

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Choose a file

This tool runs on our server. Your file is sent over an encrypted connection and deleted within 10 minutes.

Before you start. Up to 95 MB. Works mostly on the images inside the file. A text-only PDF shrinks only as far as its contents can be packed more tightly, which is often a little and sometimes a lot; a file already packed tightly is returned unchanged, and the note says so. Runs on our server; the file is deleted within 10 minutes.

Step by step

Drop the PDF onto the page, or press Choose a file.
Pick Screen, Balanced or High.
Press Compress and save the result.

How it works

Each picture placed on a page is reduced to at most 96, 150 or 220 pixels per inch of page width and re-saved as JPEG when that makes it at least 10 percent smaller, then the file is rewritten with its streams compressed. Pictures with transparency, CMYK pictures and pictures under 40,000 pixels are left as they are. Text, fonts and vector drawings are not touched.

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Questions

How is this different from the browser Compress PDF?

The browser tool draws each page as an image, which makes scans small but removes selectable text. This tool shrinks only the pictures inside the file, so text, links and bookmarks stay.

How much smaller will my file get?

It depends on the pictures. A report with photographs can lose 60 to 90 percent. A text-only file shrinks only as far as its contents can be packed more tightly; when nothing worth removing is found it is returned unchanged, and the note says so.

Will the pictures look worse?

At Balanced (150 dpi, JPEG quality 70) they look the same on screen. Choose High for printing.

Where does my file go?

To the WholeFiles server, processed, returned, deleted within 10 minutes.

Compress PDF, keep text

Questions

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