How do I compress a PDF to 200 KB?

Choose the PDF with the target left at 200 KB. The lossless rewrite runs first and keeps the text; if it cannot get there, pick Image compression and press Compress as images. The search tries the quality you set and then every multiple of 5 below it, builds the real file, and keeps the highest quality that fits. If even quality 10 is too big, lower the DPI and search again.

Why can't my PDF reach the target size?

A PDF of text and vector drawings is usually compact already, and the lossless rewrite can only drop objects nothing in the file refers to, store identical streams once, compress streams that were stored uncompressed and pack the file's structure more tightly. Image compression goes further on scans and photos, but every page still needs its picture, so a long document at a high DPI can stay over a small target. When that happens the tool says the target is out of reach, shows the smallest size it reached and keeps your original.

Does compressing a PDF remove the text?

The lossless rewrite does not: text, links, form fields and bookmarks stay as they were. Image compression does, because it redraws each page as a picture, so text can no longer be selected, searched or copied, links stop working and form fields can no longer be filled in. The tool lists what your file would lose before you run it, and it never switches to image compression on its own.

Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?

No. The file is read, compressed and previewed in this browser tab, and nothing is sent to a server. The only thing remembered between visits is the target, DPI and quality you last used; the file and the mode are not stored.

What DPI should I use for image compression?

DPI is how many pixels each inch of the page gets when it is redrawn. 150 is the default and a common choice for reading on screen; 96 or 72 makes a smaller file when a readable copy is all a form needs; 200 or 300 keeps fine print sharper at a larger size. A page too big for a browser canvas at the chosen DPI is drawn at a lower one, and the result names those pages.

Why is the compressed file sometimes not offered?

If the result is the same size as your PDF or larger, there is nothing to gain, so the Download button stays off and your original is kept. If it is smaller but misses your target, the main download stays off too, and Download anyway saves it only if you ask.

Is 200 KB the same as 200,000 bytes?

Not here: 1 KB is 1,024 bytes, so 200 KB is 204,800 bytes, and the exact number is shown under the target field. If an upload form counts 1 KB as 1,000 bytes, type 195 KB, which is 199,680 bytes, or type 200000 bytes.

PDF Compressor

Set a target such as 200 KB and this compressor aims for it instead of promising it: you get the exact byte count of the file it made, a before and after preview of every page, and a plain statement when the target is out of reach. The lossless rewrite keeps text, links and form fields, and it runs as soon as you choose a file. Image compression redraws each page as a JPEG at the DPI you pick, which is what shrinks a scan, and it lists what your file would lose before you run it. Your PDF never leaves this tab.

beforeno file yet

The first page of your PDF appears here.

afterlossless rewrite

The compressed page appears here after Compress.

· or drop one anywhere on the stage

Never uploadedNo accountCompressed in this tabUp to 50 MB and 200 pages

No PDF chosen yet. Its first page appears here once you add one.

Mode

Target size

200 KB is 204,800 bytes.

DPI

Used by image compression only.

Highest quality

Used by image compression only.

Lossless rewrite. Keeps text, links, form fields and bookmarks exactly as they are; only how the file is stored changes. Every PDF you choose starts here, and runs at once; image compression runs only when you pick it.

Before

no file yet

After

not run yet

Smaller by

not run yet

Target

not run yet

Vector-only PDF, 10 KB targetlossless rewrite
3 sheets of line drawing, no pictures
Two-page image PDFportrait then landscape, image compression to 200 KB
a certificate page and a landscape picture page
Image compression, target missedpage 1 has selectable text, 10 KB target
the same file, with a target it cannot meet

Accuracy. Sizes are the exact bytes of the file produced, and a target is aimed for, never promised: when it is out of reach you see the smallest size reached, your original is kept, and a file larger than the original is never offered. The lossless rewrite keeps text, links and form fields; image compression redraws every page as a picture and removes all three, so it runs only when you choose it. Files up to 50 MB and 200 pages are processed in this tab, and 1 KB here is 1,024 bytes.

Common questions

How do I compress a PDF to 200 KB?: Choose the PDF with the target left at 200 KB. The lossless rewrite runs first and keeps the text; if it cannot get there, pick Image compression and press Compress as images. The search tries the quality you set and then every multiple of 5 below it, builds the real file, and keeps the highest quality that fits. If even quality 10 is too big, lower the DPI and search again.
Why can't my PDF reach the target size?: A PDF of text and vector drawings is usually compact already, and the lossless rewrite can only drop objects nothing in the file refers to, store identical streams once, compress streams that were stored uncompressed and pack the file's structure more tightly. Image compression goes further on scans and photos, but every page still needs its picture, so a long document at a high DPI can stay over a small target. When that happens the tool says the target is out of reach, shows the smallest size it reached and keeps your original.
Does compressing a PDF remove the text?: The lossless rewrite does not: text, links, form fields and bookmarks stay as they were. Image compression does, because it redraws each page as a picture, so text can no longer be selected, searched or copied, links stop working and form fields can no longer be filled in. The tool lists what your file would lose before you run it, and it never switches to image compression on its own.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?: No. The file is read, compressed and previewed in this browser tab, and nothing is sent to a server. The only thing remembered between visits is the target, DPI and quality you last used; the file and the mode are not stored.
What DPI should I use for image compression?: DPI is how many pixels each inch of the page gets when it is redrawn. 150 is the default and a common choice for reading on screen; 96 or 72 makes a smaller file when a readable copy is all a form needs; 200 or 300 keeps fine print sharper at a larger size. A page too big for a browser canvas at the chosen DPI is drawn at a lower one, and the result names those pages.
Why is the compressed file sometimes not offered?: If the result is the same size as your PDF or larger, there is nothing to gain, so the Download button stays off and your original is kept. If it is smaller but misses your target, the main download stays off too, and Download anyway saves it only if you ask.
Is 200 KB the same as 200,000 bytes?: Not here: 1 KB is 1,024 bytes, so 200 KB is 204,800 bytes, and the exact number is shown under the target field. If an upload form counts 1 KB as 1,000 bytes, type 195 KB, which is 199,680 bytes, or type 200000 bytes.

Sizes are the exact bytes of the file produced, and a target is aimed for, never promised: when it is out of reach you see the smallest size reached, your original is kept, and a file larger than the original is never offered. The lossless rewrite keeps text, links and form fields; image compression redraws every page as a picture and removes all three, so it runs only when you choose it. Files up to 50 MB and 200 pages are processed in this tab, and 1 KB here is 1,024 bytes.