Free compressor
Compress a PDF for free
Drop a PDF onto the tool above and Layers rewrites it with smaller, optimised resources in our secure workspace. Nothing is stored and no watermark is added.
Compress a PDF right here
Processed in our secure workspace — your file stays private.
Drag a PDF here, or choose one from your files
What you get
Genuinely free
Private tools are covered by the free daily allowance, with no card and no trial.
No watermark
Compressed files come out clean on every plan.
Private
Compression runs in our secure workspace, so the document is never uploaded.
Fast on big files
There is no upload wait — the work starts the moment you drop the file in.
How to compress a PDF for free
- 1
Add your PDF
Drag the file onto the compressor at the top of this page or pick it from your files.
- 2
Compress in our secure workspace
Layers re-encodes images and embedded resources locally, so the file never leaves our secure processing layer.
- 3
Download the smaller file
Save the result and compare the before and after sizes shown by the tool.
Common questions
Is the compressor really free?
Yes. Compressing runs in our secure workspace and is part of the free daily allowance. Paid plans only raise the limits and unlock AI and premium templates.
Do I need to create an account?
No. Guests get a daily allowance of free file actions.
How much smaller will the file get?
Image-heavy and scanned PDFs usually shrink the most. Text-only documents are already compact, so the saving is smaller.
Does the text stay selectable?
Yes. Compression re-encodes images and embedded resources, not the text layer.