Compress a PDF on Mac
Preview's “Reduce File Size” often makes documents blurry or barely smaller. Here you control the quality — or set an exact size.
- 🔒 No upload
- ∞ No limits
- 🎯 Exact size
- ✓ No sign-up
Drop PDFs here or choose filesTap to choose PDFs
🔒 Compressed on your device — never uploaded · No limits · No sign-up
More options
Key facts
- macOS Preview: File → Export → Quartz Filter → Reduce File Size — fixed, aggressive, no size control.
- This tool offers Light/Recommended/Strong levels and exact sizes, and keeps text selectable.
- Works in Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Edge on macOS.
- Install from Chrome/Edge (address bar → Install) to use it offline like a native app.
How to compress a PDF on Mac
- Drag PDFs from Finder onto the box.
- Choose a level or exact size.
- Download — the file lands in your Downloads folder.
Preview vs. this tool
| Preview (Quartz filter) | This tool | |
|---|---|---|
| Quality control | One fixed setting | Light / Recommended / Strong / exact size |
| Typical image result | Often visibly blurry | Sharp at Recommended |
| Batch | One at a time | Many + ZIP |
| Upload | No | No |
Frequently asked questions
Why does Preview sometimes make my PDF bigger?
The Quartz filter re-encodes everything with fixed settings, which can enlarge already-optimized files. We always keep the original if we can't make it smaller.
Are my PDFs uploaded to a server?
No. Compression runs entirely inside your browser using JavaScript and WebAssembly-grade libraries. Your file never leaves your device, so confidential documents stay private. You can even disconnect from the internet after the page loads and it keeps working.
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