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This article provides instructions on how to reduce the size of a PDF file on a Windows or Mac computer. If you want to use a free online tool, you can try SmallPDF or Adobe Acrobat’s online file compression tool. Alternatively, you can reduce the size of a PDF file using the Preview application for macOS or Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Steps
Use the Smallpdf PDF Compression Tool
Visit https://smallpdf.com through your web browser. If you wish to compress a PDF file, you can do it within minutes using the free tool available on Smallpdf’s website.
Click the red Compress PDF button. This button is located at the top-left corner of the page.
Click the Choose Files button in the middle of the page.
Select the PDF file and click the Open button. The PDF file will begin uploading.
Select the compression type. The Basic compression is completely free and reduces the file size by 40%. If you want a smaller file, you can choose Strong compression to reduce the size by 75% (though the file quality will be lower).
- The Strong option is a paid feature – you need to sign up for Pro membership as directed on the website.
- The Basic option reduces the file size without significantly affecting the quality, making it the best choice for most needs.
Click the red COMPRESS button. You will see this button below the compression options. Once the compression is complete, the Download option will appear on the right side of the screen.
Click the Download button in blue. This button is located at the top-right corner. The compressed PDF file will be saved to your computer.
- You may need to click Save or Download to initiate the file download.
Using Adobe Acrobat Pro
Open the PDF file in Adobe Acrobat Pro. If you want to reduce the file size without worrying about quality loss, you can use Adobe Acrobat Pro. If you have Acrobat Pro, open the program, click on the File menu, select Open, choose your PDF file, and click Open.
- If you don't have the paid version of Adobe Acrobat Pro, you can visit https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/compress-pdf.html in your browser. Then, drag the PDF file into the Compress PDF box or click Select a file to choose the file to be compressed automatically. Once the compression is done, click Download to save the file.
Click the File option in the top menu bar.
Click the Reduce File Size or Compress PDF option. The option you see depends on the Acrobat version you are using.
Select the folder to save the file. You may also rename the PDF file if desired.
Click the Save button. The newly compressed PDF file has now been saved to your computer.
Using Preview on Mac
Open the PDF document in the Preview app. You can do this by double-clicking the PDF file. If the file opens in another application, simply close that app, right-click the PDF file, select Open with, and choose Preview.
Click the File option. This option is located in the top menu bar.
Click on the Export option in the menu. Make sure you select Export rather than Export as PDF (Export as PDF).
Click the "Format" menu and choose PDF. If this option is already selected, you can skip this step.
Click the "Quartz Filter" menu and select Reduce File Size (Reduce file size). This action reduces the file size.
- Reducing the file size may degrade the quality of the PDF document, especially if it contains images.
- If you prefer to keep the original PDF, you can save the reduced version under a different name by typing "small" before the ".pdf" extension in the file name at the top of the window.
Select the folder where you want to save the PDF file.
Click the Save button. This will save the reduced version of the PDF file.
