Compress a PDF
Reduce the size of your PDF files by recompressing the embedded images, with adjustable quality. Directly in DocuNest's unified PDF editor (Document menu).
Compress a PDF in DocuNest: 100% local processing on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Automatable via the docunest CLI.

Built into the unified PDF editor. This tool is used directly within the DocuNest editor: open your PDF, apply the action, undo with Ctrl+Z if needed, then move on to any other tool — without ever reloading your file.
Discover the PDF editor →Features
Use cases
Emailing
Reduce a large PDF to comply with attachment size limits.
Optimized storage
Compress your PDF archives to save disk space.
Online sharing
Lighten a document before uploading it to a platform.
Command line
Same result as the interface, in one command. Nothing leaves your machine.
docunest — zsh
local# Compress with quality 60 ❯ docunest pdf compress -i document.pdf --quality 60 -o result.pdf ✓ Done — file written locally, no network upload
Frequently asked questions
Is the text quality affected?
What quality level should I choose?
Can I compress a protected PDF?
Similar tools
Compress an image
Reduce the size of your images by adjusting the compression quality, with no visible change.
📄Merge PDFs
Combine multiple PDF files into a single document, in the order of your choice. You can also merge directly from the editor (File menu), without leaving your document.
📑Extract pages
Extract one or more pages from a PDF to create a new, lighter document. Directly in DocuNest's unified PDF editor (Pages menu).
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Linux
Install a system package, or use the AppImage if you prefer a portable version.
Windows 10+, macOS 12+ (Apple Silicon), Linux (deb / rpm / AppImage)