PDF too large for an email or an online form? Pick a compression level, see the estimated size before you even start, and get a smaller file in seconds, without uploading it to a server.
How it works
- Select the PDF to compress.
- Choose a level: low, recommended or strong.
- Run the compression and compare the size before and after.
Frequently asked questions
Which level should I choose?
The recommended level suits most documents. Choose “strong” if the file must fit under a strict limit, such as 2 MB, and “low” if you want to keep the best print quality.
Does the text stay selectable?
Yes, with lossless compression. If pages have to be turned into images to save a lot of space, PDFRoll tells you. You can make the text selectable again with the “OCR PDF” tool.
What if my file is already small?
PDFRoll tells you and gives you back the original file rather than a heavier version.
How long does compression take?
A few seconds for a typical document. A large file full of photos can take longer, depending on how powerful your device is.
Can I compress a PDF on my phone?
Yes, PDFRoll works in your phone or tablet browser, with no app to install.
Is there a limit on file size or number of files?
There are no imposed limits and no account to create. The only practical limit for very large files is your device’s memory.
Can I compress a password-protected PDF?
First remove the protection with the “Unlock PDF” tool (you need to know the password), then compress the file.
Why is my PDF so large?
In the vast majority of cases, images are the culprit: photos taken with a phone, pages scanned at high resolution or illustrations that were never optimized. A ten-page scanned document can easily exceed 20 MB, while the same text would fit in a few hundred KB.
Other files are bloated by fully embedded fonts, duplicate objects or leftover data from the software that created them. These can often be reduced without changing anything you see.
How PDFRoll reduces your PDF size
PDFRoll first tries lossless compression: it reorganizes and cleans up the file structure without touching the text or images. If that isn’t enough, it optimizes how pages are rendered based on the level you chose, then automatically keeps the smallest result.
- Low compression: maximum quality, ideal for a document you’ll print.
- Recommended compression: the best balance for sending by email or uploading online.
- Strong compression: the smallest possible file, for when a site enforces a strict limit.
For files of 30 pages or fewer, the size you’ll get with each level is shown before you even start compressing, so you choose knowing the result.
What size should you aim for?
Limits vary from one service to another, but a few benchmarks help:
- Email attachments: Gmail allows about 25 MB and Outlook about 20 MB, counting every file in the message.
- Government portals, job applications and online submissions: the limit is often 2 to 5 MB per document.
- Sharing via messaging apps or on a website: the smaller the file, the faster it opens, especially on a phone.
If your file is still over the limit after strong compression, you can split it into several parts with the “Split PDF” tool.
Your files stay on your device
Unlike most online compressors, PDFRoll doesn’t upload your document to a server: all the work is done by your browser. This matters most for bank statements, contracts, medical records or ID documents, which people often compress before sending them.
Related guides
- How to reduce PDF size to send by email
- How to turn photos into a single PDF
- How to merge multiple PDFs into one file
- How to make a scanned PDF searchable with OCR
- How to convert a PowerPoint to PDF to send it
- How to convert a Word document to PDF
- How to fill in a PDF form without printing it
- How to reduce a PDF below a maximum size
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