PDF files can be large if you use the wrong saving options or if you have a lot of photos. There are many free ways to compress PDFs and reduce their size.
If you want to transfer documents across multiple platforms without worrying about how the format will look on Windows, Mac, phone, or tablet, PDFs are perfect.
They are also ideal for adding information to a file without being able to update or edit it. One downside is that the files can be much larger than a similar Word or PowerPoint document.
Fortunately, if you’re stuck with a large PDF making it difficult to email others, there are solutions to reduce its size.
How to reduce the size of a PDF file on a computer with Windows 11
You must be living under a rock if you don’t know what a PDF is. PDF has been around for a long time, proving to be a very suitable and powerful file format for storing valuable files. They are as popular and widely used today as they were years ago when people were just getting used to computers as the new normal.
If you have used a dedicated PDF compressor PDF before, you can use the built-in compressor tool to reduce file sizes. Those who don’t want to pay for the service can still use the features by signing up for a free 15-day trial. Features like e-signature, file conversion, etc. are all worthwhile features if you opt for the premium version though.
To reduce the size of a PDF on a Windows computer, open the browser and enter the name of the page that offers PDF optimization options. Personally, I recommend the desktop program.
As a dedicated desktop converter, it works in a very simple way, after selecting the file to be converted, we choose one of the four conversion options:
- Low compression/small files
- Medium compression/medium files
- High compression/large files
- Custom
Step-by-step tips:
- After installing the recommended PDF compressor program, open the PDF in the desktop program.
- Now go to “Edit” and click “Compress”
- Set up all the parameters, and after clicking “Start”, it will create a new version of the file.
After processing, you will have a compressed PDF.
Pro Tips ─ There are many tools out there that do the job, but many are safe spaces for malware and adware waiting to infect your file. Only choose PDF compression tools that have a good reputation for creating them.
Choose tools with a simple user interface. We don’t need confusing features for something as simple as PDF compression. You can also manually reduce the size of a PDF by using compressed images or by reducing the use of graphics in the file.
How to compress a PDF online
There are more such online PDF compressors on the web. However, it must be remembered that there are often stronger compression options that require setting up Pro/Premium accounts with subscription fees. Sometimes the free versions have limits on the size of files or the number of pages in the processed document.
Visit one of the many free sites that offer this service and compress PDF files quickly and easily. There are some popular desktop and online solutions. The online tools work almost the same way.
Verdict ─ We will be recommending this online tool to those users who don’t mind paying a small fee to access all its features. The tool has some great features that are unique only to it. It’s fast, versatile, and delivers results without compromising overall video quality.
- Go to the website and click the Select PDF Files button or click and drag the file to the area around the button if you have one.
- After selecting Select PDF Files, an Explorer window will open to navigate to the PDF file. Once you find the one you are looking for, select it and click Open.
- The PDF will now appear in the center of the screen along with three alternatives. The three options are Extreme Compression, Recommended Compression, and Less Compression. The smaller the file size, the higher the compression level, but this comes at the expense of image quality. Select the appropriate level according to your PDF file type, then click Compress PDF below the list.
- The site will now try to reduce the file size. You will then receive a notification confirming that the procedure is complete, as well as a Download Compressed PDF button.
Information about how much the file size has been reduced will appear below the button. In this situation, the PDF was 51% smaller than the original after using Recommended Compression.
When you click Download Compressed PDF, you will get a small file that you can share online more easily.
Reduce PDF file size on smartphones
We all need to compress files for various reasons, whether it’s for convenient file sharing or to free up space in our own databases. The influx of data we are experiencing today is a bit overwhelming, so the ordering of it can become chaotic.
Therefore, you need a great tool that can compress files to facilitate file sharing between friends and colleagues even via a mobile phone.
As is the case with mobile phone systems, there will be an application for each task. Also for compressing PDFs. After entering the phrase “compress PDF” in the browser of Google Play or App Store, we will get hundreds of very similar applications. Some of them are mobile “branches” of online services.
Conclusions
PDF files can quickly grow to enormous sizes. Many programs can help you compress a huge PDF file and reduce the size for easy online distribution. They will help you the next time you hit the PDF file size limit.
PDFs can be shockingly huge, whether you’re working with interactive PDFs or bulky eBooks. Any of the tools mentioned above should help reduce the size of these files to something more reasonable.