Compress a scanned PDF
Scanner and phone-scan PDFs, made small enough to share.
or drop it here · paste with Ctrl+V
Processed on your device — files are never uploaded
to use this tool — every tool is free, with no daily limit.
Compress Scanned PDF: what you need to know
A scanner stores every page as a high-resolution photo, so a 10-page scan can be 30 MB or more. Because those pages are images, they compress very well: FilesForU reduces their resolution to what's needed for reading and printing and re-encodes them efficiently.
This page starts on Strong compression, the best choice for scans. If you also want to search or copy the text, run the result through OCR PDF.
Why use FilesForU for Compress Scanned PDF
Free, no watermark
Compress Scanned PDF is free with a free account — no daily limit and no watermark on your files.
Private
Your files are processed on your own device. They are never uploaded to our servers.
Fast
No upload and no queue, so most files are ready in seconds.
Works everywhere
Use it on Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone or Android — nothing to install.
Compress Scanned PDF in 3 steps
- 1
Choose your scanned PDF
- 2
Keep Strong compression selected
- 3
Download the compressed scan
Questions & answers
How much smaller will my scan get?
Scans often shrink by 70–90%, depending on the original scan resolution.
Will it still print clearly?
Yes for normal documents. For fine print or detailed drawings, choose Recommended or Light instead.
Can I make the scan searchable too?
Yes — after compressing, use Continue with OCR PDF on the result page.
Are my files uploaded to your server?
No. This tool runs entirely inside your browser, so your files stay on your device. FilesForU never receives, stores or sees them.
Is it really free?
Yes. Every tool is free with a free account — no daily limit, no watermarks, and files up to 500 MB.