Index
- How to compress a PDF file for free
- How to compress a PDF file online
- How to compress a PDF file with Android and iPhone
- How to compress a PDF file into ZIP
How to compress a PDF file for free
You are interested in understanding how to compress a PDF file for free acting from the computer, both on Windows and on macOS? Then turn to the solutions for the purpose that you find reported right below. They are very easy to use, even by those who, a bit like you, do not really consider themselves an expert in terms of technology.
Acrobat (Windows / macOS)
The first tool for compress a PDF file I want to suggest you to use is Acrobat Pro DC. As easily understood by the name itself, it is a distributed Adobe program, the software house that invented the PDF format, which allows you to view and edit the documents belonging to the type covered by this guide. It works both on Windows that of MacOS and it is paid (it has a basic cost of 18,29 euros / month), but it can be tried for free and without limitations for 7 days.
To download the program to your computer, go to its website and click the button Trial (7 days). Therefore, activate the software trial, by typing the email address of your Adobe ID in the text field on the left (if you do not yet have an Adobe account, you can create one at the moment, following the instructions on the screen), by clicking on the button Continue, by entering the relative password and providing the data required for payment.
Then wait for the download of the program to be completed, then install it, following the instructions I gave you in my guide on the subject. Then, launch Acrobat Pro DC by selecting the appropriate collegamento in Windows Start menu or in MacOS Launchpad. Once the Adobe Acrobat Pro DC window appears on the screen, open the PDF you want to act on by clicking on the menu Fillet top left and on the item apri attached to it.
Subsequently, for compress a PDF file with Acrobat, click once again on the menu Fillet, choose the item from the latter Save as other e seleziona l'opzione PDF with reduced size. Finally, set compatibility with Acrobat versions, click the button OK and indicate the location on your computer where you want to save the final file.
Free PDF Compressor (Windows)
Stai using Windows, another tool you can use to compress a PDF file is Free PDF Compressor. It is a free program, which allows you to reduce the size of the PDF files that are given to you by optimizing their content. It is extremely flexible, intuitive and keeps all the features of the original documents intact.
To download it to your PC, connect to its website and first click on the button Download mirror and then on the voice Click here. Successively, apri il .exe file of Free PDF Compressor and, in the window that opens on the desktop, click on the buttons Yes e Next. Then accept the conditions of use of the software, putting the check mark next to the item I accept the agreement, and complete the setup by clicking on the buttons in sequence Next (four consecutive times), install e Finish.
Now that you see the main window of the software, click on the button KATEGORIEN and select the PDF to be processed. Next, locate the section Settings and choose one of the available options: Screen (to create a super-optimized file of poor quality), eBook (to get a well compressed but slightly higher quality PDF), Printer (to create a well-balanced file between visual quality and weight) e Prepress o Default (in order not to over-compress the PDF while keeping their quality at the highest levels).
Then press the button Compress, in order to complete the operation. By default, the application saves compressed documents in the same folder as the original ones. If you want to change the route, click on the button beforehand Save as and indicate the folder you prefer.
ShrinkIt (macOS)
If you want compress a PDF file Mac, another solution you can decide to rely on is Shrinkit. It is a no-cost application for macOS that allows you to reduce PDF files in an almost magical way, simply by dragging the documents into its main window.
To download it to your computer, connect to the program's website and click on the button Download ShrinkIt. Next, extract theZIP archive obtained in a position of your choice, then drag theprogram icon in the folder Applications macOS, right-click on it and select the item apri from the context menu, in order to start the program, however, going around the limitations desired by Apple against non-certified developers (an operation that must be carried out only at the first start).
The rest is almost useless to explain. As already mentioned, all you have to do is drag the PDF you want to act on in the ShrinkIt window that appears. By doing so, a “lightened” copy of the PDF will be created in the same location as the source file.
How to compress a PDF file online
You don't want or can't download new programs to your computer and would like me to explain to you how to compress a PDF file online? I'll settle you immediately. In fact, below you will find those that, in my humble opinion, represent the best Web services in the category. Try them now, you will see that you will not regret it!
Online2PDF
The first web service to reduce the weight of PDF files that, in my opinion, you would do well to consider is Online2PDF. It's free and allows you to edit PDF files by decreasing their weight, merging them, rotating them etc. It has sufficiently wide upload limits: up to 20 documents can be uploaded at a time for a total weight of 150 MB (but each uploaded file cannot exceed 100 MB) and protects users' privacy by deleting all files within 24 hours of 'upload.
To use Online2PDF, connected to the home page of the service, click on the button Select files and select the PDF to compress. Alternatively, drag the files you want to act on into the browser window. If you have uploaded multiple PDF files, please also expand the drop-down menu modality appeared at the bottom and select the item Convert files separately from the latter, so as to avoid that all the selected files are converted into a single document.
Next, click on the tab Compression located at the bottom left and set your preferences for the quality and resolution of the images in compressed documents, as well as the color mode of the latter.
Once you have adjusted your preferences, click on the button Converted, wait for your files to be uploaded online and compressed and you will get a ZIP archive containing your PDFs in compressed format. Done!
PDF Candy
You can also compress a PDF file with PDF Candy. It is a free web service and allows you to intervene on PDFs in different ways: converting them, dividing them, lightening them, unlocking them, etc. It has no limitations regarding the maximum weight of the files and the privacy of users is protected, as the documents uploaded to its servers are automatically deleted within a few hours of uploading.
To use it, go to the relevant web page, click on the button Add files and select the PDF you want to act on. Alternatively, drag the file directly into the browser window. You can also download the PDF from your Google Drive or Dropbox account by clicking on the appropriate ones icon.
Once the upload is complete, choose the degree of compression you prefer from one of the three options in the drop-down menu located at the bottom center. Then click the button Compress located at the bottom right and waits for the procedure to be completed.
In the new Web page that will then be shown to you, you will find indicated how much it was possible to compress the document and you can proceed with the download of the output file, by clicking on the button Download file. You can also decide to save the compressed PDF obtained on Google Drive or on dropboxby selecting the icon of the cloud storage service you are interested in.
How to compress a PDF file with Android and iPhone
If you don't have your computer handy, you can too compress a PDF file with Android and iPhone (or with iPad, nothing changes), therefore acting as a smartphone and tablet. To do this, you just have to resort to the use of some special apps, such as those listed below. They are very easy to use, don't worry!
iLovePDF (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
An excellent application to reduce the weight of your PDF files directly on the go is iLovePDF. It is at no cost, very easy to use and allows you to make various types of changes to PDFs, compressing them, merging them, converting them and much more. It should be noted that it offers in-app purchases (at a basic cost of 5,99 euros / month) to subscribe to the Premium subscription and thus unlock the extra features offered, such as the ability to fill in and sign documents.
To download the app to your device if you are using Android, visit the relative section of the Play Store and award your bottone Install (if you have a terminal without Play Store, you can get the app from one of the various alternative stores for Android). If you are using iOS / iPadOSinstead, visit the relevant section of the App Store, press the button Get, quindi quello Install and authorize the download via Face ID, touch ID o your Apple ID password. Then, start the application by tapping on the relevant one icon which has been added to the home screen.
Once the main screen of iLovePDF is displayed, go to the section Instruments, by selecting the appropriate item from the visible menu after tapping the button with the three: lines horizontally (on Android) or at the bottom (on iOS / iPadOS), then choose the option Compress PDF, indicate the location from which to take the file to be compressed and the file of your interest, press the button Following and choose the compression level you want to use.
At this point, press the button Collapse and wait for the compression procedure to complete. Finally, tap the button Go to file, awarded by pressing i three dots vertically that you find next to the name of the output file and decide, through the menu that appears, whether to open it, share it in another app, etc.
Compress PDF (Android/iOS/iPadOS)
Another app you can use if you want compress a PDF file with Android or if you wish compress a PDF file with iPhone (or with iPad) is Compress PDF, which, as you can guess from the name itself, allows you to act on the weight of PDFs and reduce it. The only thing to take into account is that it takes 1 hour to complete the compression procedure, regardless of the weight of the source document. To get around this limitation and take advantage of other additional features, you need to switch to the paid version, through in-app purchases (at a cost of 10,99 euros).
To download the app to your device if you are using Android, access the relevant section of the Play Store and tap the button Install (if you have a terminal without Play Store, you can get the app from one of the many alternative stores for Android). If you are using iOS / iPadOSinstead, visit the relevant section of the App Store, tap the button Get, quindi quello Install and authorize the download via Face ID, touch ID o your Apple ID password. Then, launch the app, selecting the relevant one icon added to home screen.
Once the main Compress PDF screen is displayed, if you are using Android, tap the button capacitor positive (+) lead, select the location from which to take the PDF to be compressed and the document, while if you are using iOS / iPadOS select the location and file directly.
Finally, choose the option Free and wait for the compression procedure to start and finish. Once the process is complete, you will see a checkmark and by pressing on it you can save the returned file in a desired location or in another app.
How to compress a PDF file into ZIP
Also compress a PDF file to ZIP it is a good way to reduce the weight of documents belonging to this category, as well as to share them more easily with other users.
The operation is feasible from a computer, using the predefined Windows and macOS programs or third-party software, but also directly online, as well as from Android smartphones and tablets and from iPhones and iPads, with special apps. For all the details of the case, I refer you to reading my specific guide on how to zip a PDF file.
How to compress a PDF file
