This guide will teach you how to shrink a PDF file on both PC and Mac. PDFsail, the creators of the PDF format, provide a free online tool that makes it easy to compress PDFs into smaller files. If you're using a Mac, you can use the Preview app to shrink your file without needing to upload it. Keep in mind that compressing a PDF can decrease the quality of images and sometimes text.
Method 1: Using PDFsail's Online PDF Compressor
1. Go to PDFsail's PDF Compressor Tool
Visit [PDFsail free online PDF compression tool](https://www.pdfsail.com/compress-pdf).
2. Upload Your PDF
- Click Select a file to browse for your PDF.
- Alternatively, drag and drop the file into the upload box.
3. Select the PDF File
Choose your PDF and click Open to upload it to PDFsail server.
4. Choose a Compression Level
- Medium Compression: Ideal for documents with images and text, balancing file size and image quality.
- High Compression: Reduces file size the most but sacrifices image quality.
- Low Compression: Slightly reduces the file size while preserving most of the quality.
5. Start Compression
Click the Compress button. PDFsail will process the file and show a success message with the new and original file sizes.
6. Download the Compressed File
Click Download to save the smaller version of your PDF.
Method 2: Using Preview on Mac
1. Open PDF in Preview
- Double-click the PDF to open it in Preview.
- If it opens in another app, right-click the file, select Open with, and choose Preview.
2. Click the File Menu
In the menu bar at the top, click File and then select Export.
3. Select PDF Format
- Ensure the Format dropdown is set to PDF.
4. Apply the Quartz Filter
- From the Quartz Filter menu, choose Reduce File Size.
- Note: Reducing the file size may degrade quality, especially for images.
5. Save the Compressed PDF
- Choose a location to save the new file and name it.
- Optionally, add "smaller" to the file name to distinguish it from the original.
- Click Save to finalize the compression.
Conclusion
Compressing PDF files can make them easier to share and upload. PDFsail online tool, Preview on Mac provide effective ways to reduce PDF size, each with different compression levels. Consider the quality of the document and choose an appropriate compression level to maintain a balance between size and quality.
