How to compress a PDF on Mac

1. Open the PDF in Preview.
2. Choose File > Export.
3. Open the Quartz Filter menu and choose Reduce File Size.
4. Save the file under a new name.

The filter often makes images look very blurry, and you cannot choose how strongly it compresses.

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.

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.

• Medium is a good default for screens and everyday printing. Low gives the smallest file and is fine for reading on screen or email.
• PDFs that are mostly text or already compressed have little left to shrink. In that case Toolbox keeps the original as is.
• To cut size further, remove pages you do not need with Delete Pages.