Big PDFs bounce off email limits and crawl on slow connections. PDF Cubby shrinks the file by optimising its images while keeping your text selectable and crisp — pick how hard to compress, and download a lighter file with nothing kept afterward.
How to compress pdfs
Add your PDFChoose the PDF you want to shrink.
Pick a levelChoose how aggressively to compress — lighter for quality, stronger for the smallest file.
CompressRun it and see the before-and-after size.
DownloadDownload the lighter PDF. It's gone from our side the moment you do.
What you can do
- Get a file under an email attachment limit
- Speed up uploads to a portal that rejects big files
- Slim a scan-heavy document for sharing
- Cut a portfolio or deck down to a sensible size
- Save space when archiving lots of PDFs
What happens to your file
Your files are never stored. Nothing is parked, queued, or kept — the moment your download is ready, it's gone, and no one ever sees it.
Plenty of online tools store your file on their servers and delete it later. PDF Cubby doesn't keep it at all — there's nothing left behind to clean up afterward.
Features
- Smart mode keeps text selectable — it optimises images, not your words
- Maximum mode for the smallest possible file when size wins
- Clear before/after size so you know what you saved
- Free, no sign-up, no watermark
- Never stored — nothing kept afterward
Tips
- Text-only PDFs are already small — compression helps most on image-heavy files.
- Combining first? Merge, then compress the result.
- Need it smaller still? Switch to Maximum mode, then check the pages still read the way you want.
Frequently asked questions
- Are my files kept after compressing?
- No. Your PDF is never stored — the instant your smaller file is ready, everything is gone and no one sees it.
- Will my text stay selectable?
- In Smart mode, yes — it recompresses images while leaving your text and vector graphics intact, so words stay sharp and selectable. Maximum mode trades that for the smallest possible file.
- How much smaller will it get?
- It depends on the file. Image-heavy PDFs often drop 50–80%; text-only files are already efficient and won't shrink much.
- Does compressing ruin image quality?
- You control it. Lighter levels keep images looking great; stronger levels shrink harder with a visible trade-off you can preview.
- Is there a size limit?
- No hard limit — large files just take a little longer.
- Do I need an account?
- No. Compressing is free, with no sign-up and no watermark.
- Is my original changed?
- Never — you download a new, smaller file and the source is untouched.