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Local PDF compression · files never upload

Compress PDFs to upload size limits

Pick 100KB / 200KB / 1MB targets for exam, visa and government portals. Merge, split, convert and watermark too, then save repeated steps as a local workflow. Files never leave your browser.

Local processingNo uploadCompletely freeNo sign-up

Drop a PDF, get it under your size limit

Free · instant
Drag & drop or click to select filesMultiple PDFs supported; best for scans / image-based PDFs
Files are processed in your browser — never uploaded
KB

Common cases: exam sign-up ≤200KB, visa documents ≤1MB, government portals ≤500KB

How to compress

This tool usesrasterizationto compress, which is best forscanned / photo-based PDFs. A text-only PDF becomes an image after compression, so youcan no longer copy or search the text — if you need selectable text, don't use this tool on a pure-text document.

Watch it binary-search clarity against size in real time until it lands just under your target. Other tools charge for that math — here it's free and fully offline.

Exam upload desk with blank forms, a blurred laptop screen, and a blue folder
≤200KB
Exam sign-up
Shrink ID photos and forms to ≤200KB to beat education-portal upload limits.
Travel document desk with blank papers, a face-down booklet, and a blurred laptop
≤1MB
Visa documents
Compress passport and bank-statement scans to ≤1MB to meet consulate rules.
Scanner desk with blank paper sheets and a privacy-blurred laptop portal
≤500KB
Government portals
Get licenses and signed contracts under 500KB so they pass in one go.
15+
PDF tools
100%
Local
0
Uploads
90%+
Avg. saved

What is PDF compression?

PDF compression reduces a PDF's file size by re-encoding page content and down-sampling its images. Exam-registration, visa-application and government portals often cap uploads at 100KB–1MB, and compression lets oversized scans, ID photos and contracts fit those limits while keeping them as sharp as possible. compress cat does the whole thing in your browser, free and private with nothing uploaded, and homes in on the exact size you set (200KB, say) for you.

Local PDF compression desk with a hand holding blank papers beside a blurred laptop

PDF compression guides.

Shrink it just enough to upload

Every PDF tool you need.

All run in your browser
Signature

Compress PDF

Set 100KB / 200KB / 1MB and it binary-searches clarity against size to land just under your upload limit — the signature tool, free and local.

Open compressor
Local

Merge PDF

Drop several PDFs in, set the order, export one file. Lossless.

Local

Split PDF

Break one multi-page PDF into a file per page, then grab just the pages you want.

Local

Rotate PDF

Scanned it sideways? Straighten the whole thing and export.

Local

Image to PDF

A pile of images, packed into one PDF.

Local

Add watermark

Stamp text like CONFIDENTIAL across every page.

Local

Delete pages

Drop the pages you don’t want — blanks, misscanned sheets, extra appendices — and keep the rest. Ranges like 2, 5-7 work.

Local

Sign PDF

Draw or upload a signature, click the page to place it, stamp. Built for the sign-it-and-send-it-back rhythm of contracts and forms.

Local

Add page numbers

Stamp a number on every page — styles like “1 / N”, “Page 1” or “- 1 -”, header or footer, starting from any number you set.

Local

PDF to Word

Pull the text out of a PDF into an editable Word (.docx) you can keep working in.

Local

PDF to PPT

Turn a PDF into PPT (.pptx): editable text, or an image-per-slide mode with 100% visual fidelity.

Local

OCR (searchable PDF)

Add a text layer to scanned / image-based PDFs so they’re searchable, selectable and copyable (Chinese & English).

Local

PDF to Excel

Pull tables out of a PDF into an editable Excel (.xlsx). Works best on clean tables.

Local

Office to PDF

Convert Word, Excel and CSV files to PDF so they open and print the same anywhere.

Local

Edit PDF

A visual markup tool to add text and white-out blocks to a PDF (it can’t change existing text). To truly erase sensitive content, use True Redact.

Local

PDF Inspector

Drop a PDF and get a local checkup in seconds: what’s eating the bytes, what private metadata it leaks, whether it’s searchable, and any fake redaction.

Local

True Redact

Permanently erase sensitive content from a PDF — redacted pages are rasterized and the underlying text is physically deleted, so it can’t be copied back. Not a fake black box.

Local

Fill PDF Form

Fill interactive form fields — and even scanned / flat forms with click-to-place text, ✓ and ✗. Most tools only do the former.

The layer iLovePDF skips

Chain single tools into one automated pipeline

Pick a template → set parameters → run a whole batch in one click, and save it on your device to reuse. Chain merge, compress, rotate, OCR, watermark and page numbers into one pipeline — define it once, skip the manual clicking every time.

MergeCompress to 200KBWatermarkNumber pagesDownload
Open the workflow builder →