Compress a scanned PDF
Scanned PDFs are large because every page is an image. Enter the size you need, then check names, numbers, stamps, signatures, and fine print in the compressed result.
A lossless pass will barely change a scan. Exact-size mode lowers the resolution and image quality step by step and keeps the best version that fits.
This tool runs in your browser. Your document is not uploaded.What happens to your files
Federal court e-filing. There is no national limit, because each court sets its own. The Second Circuit allows 10 MB per PDF and up to 10 attachments, each under 10 MB. Check your court before filing, and avoid flattening a filing into images: readers can no longer search it.
It will aim to get under 10.0 MB, at the best quality that fits. If nothing on the quality ladder fits, it says so rather than handing back a file that is still too big.
How it works
- Choose the scanned PDF.
- Pick a preset or enter the size the recipient requires.
- Agree to the rasterization warning if one appears.
- Compress, then zoom in on names, numbers, stamps and signatures before you download.
Why scans behave differently
A digital PDF stores characters and shapes. A scan stores millions of pixels per page, so colour, resolution, paper texture and camera noise decide its size. Grayscale scans from a scanner usually come out smaller than colour photos from a phone.
What happens to an OCR text layer
If the scan already had searchable text from OCR, exact-size mode may rasterize the pages and remove it. Keep the original if search matters. You can add a text layer again afterwards with OCR, which uploads the file.
How exact-size mode works
The size you set is a ceiling. The compressor downsamples and recompresses the images inside the file, looks for the highest resolution and JPEG quality that fits under it, and stops there, so the result can come out smaller than your number. Selectable text, links and form fields stay. A scan or image-only file is rasterized if it has to be, and a mostly-text file is never flattened unless you agree to lose its text. A password-protected PDF has to be unlocked first. If even the lowest setting is too large, the tool says so instead of handing back a file that is still over the limit.
Important limitations
- Strong reduction can blur fine print, seals and thin lines.
- An existing OCR text layer is removed if the scan has to be rasterized.
- A long, detailed scan may not reach a very small target.
Frequently asked questions
Why does lossless compression barely change my scan?
Most of the file is already-compressed image data. Making it much smaller means changing the pixels or how they are encoded.
Will the compressed scan stay searchable?
Not if the pages have to be rasterized to reach the size. Compress first, then run OCR if you need search.