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Compress a PDF on Your Mac

Compress PDF makes PDFs smaller by recompressing the images inside them, which is where most of the size usually is. Pick a quality level based on whether the file is for screens or for printing, and keep text selectable if you need it. If a PDF can't be made smaller, the original is kept as is.

Get Toolbox for MacAll Docs tools

One-time purchase · macOS 15 or later

The Docs category in Toolbox for Mac, with Scan Document, Redact PDF, Fill & Flatten Forms, Make PDF Searchable, PDF to Word, Sign PDF, Merge PDFs, Split PDF, Organize PDF, Delete Pages, Extract Pages, Images to PDF, Compress PDF, Add Password, Remove Password, PDF to Images, Convert Documents, Word to PDF, PowerPoint to PDF, Excel to PDF, Web Page to PDF and Markdown to PDF.The Docs category in Toolbox for Mac, with Scan Document, Redact PDF, Fill & Flatten Forms, Make PDF Searchable, PDF to Word, Sign PDF, Merge PDFs, Split PDF, Organize PDF, Delete Pages, Extract Pages, Images to PDF, Compress PDF, Add Password, Remove Password, PDF to Images, Convert Documents, Word to PDF, PowerPoint to PDF, Excel to PDF, Web Page to PDF and Markdown to PDF.

How to use Compress PDF

  1. Open Compress PDF and drop your PDFs.

  2. Choose a quality: Low, Medium or High.

  3. Leave Keep text selectable on if you want to search and copy text.

  4. Click Compress.

Questions about Compress PDF

How do I reduce the size of a PDF on Mac?

Drop the PDF into Compress PDF, choose a quality and click Compress. Medium is a good default for screens and everyday printing.

Is Toolbox better than Preview's Reduce File Size filter?

Preview's Quartz filter often makes images look very blurry. Toolbox lets you choose a quality level with a set image resolution and can keep text selectable.

Why didn't my PDF get smaller?

PDFs that are mostly text or already compressed have little left to shrink. In that case Toolbox keeps the original as is.

Can I compress a PDF to send by email?

Yes. Low gives the smallest file and is fine for reading on screen.

72 Mac tools. One app. Pay once.

From $24.99 one-time · macOS 15 Sequoia or later

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