How to compress a PDF
Open your PDF
Drag it onto the editor, or click Open PDF.
Open the Tools menu
Click Tools in the top bar and choose Compress PDF.
Choose a quality level
Enter a number from 1 to 100. Lower means a smaller file and softer detail. Around 70 is a good starting point; 50 is noticeably smaller and still readable for most documents.
Download the result
The compressed file downloads automatically, and Plate tells you the new size so you can try a different level if it's still too big.
How the compression works — and its one big trade-off
Plate compresses by re-rendering each page as an image at your chosen quality and rebuilding the PDF from those images. This is the same approach most “compress PDF” tools use, and it produces real, often dramatic size reductions — particularly on documents full of graphics or scans.
The trade-off is important and worth being clear about: in the compressed copy, text becomes part of an image. That means it's no longer selectable, searchable, or editable. The visual result looks the same, but the underlying text is gone.
Keep your original. Compression produces a separate downloaded file — your original stays untouched on your device. Keep it. If you later need to edit the text or search the document, you'll want the original, not the compressed copy. A good habit is to compress only the copy you're about to email or upload.
Picking a quality level
| Level | Best for |
|---|---|
| 85–95 | Documents with photos or detailed graphics you want to stay crisp |
| 70–80 | General use — a good default for most documents |
| 50–65 | Getting under a strict upload limit; text stays readable |
| Below 50 | Only when size matters far more than appearance |
When compression won't help much
If your PDF is mostly plain text with no images, it's probably already small and compressing it may not save much — and you'd lose text selection for little gain. Compression pays off most on scanned documents and image-heavy files, which is usually what's behind an oversized PDF in the first place.
Other ways to make a PDF smaller
Before compressing, consider whether you actually need the whole document. Removing pages you don't need, or extracting just the pages you're sending, often solves an upload limit without touching quality at all.
Common questions
Is compressing a PDF free?
Yes — no account, no watermark, no page limit and no paid tier.
Do I have to upload my PDF?
No. Compression runs inside your browser, so the file is never transmitted to a server.
Will the text still be selectable afterwards?
No. Compression re-renders pages as images, so text in the compressed copy is no longer selectable, searchable or editable. Keep your original file for that.
How much smaller will my file get?
It depends entirely on the document. Scanned and image-heavy PDFs often shrink dramatically; plain text documents may barely change. Plate shows the resulting size so you can try another level.
Can I undo compression?
The compressed file is a separate download — your original is untouched, so you can simply use the original again.