culacc

Compress a PDF online — free, EU-hosted, auto-deleted

Shrink large PDFs without losing the details. Pick screen, eBook, or print quality, drop your file, and download a smaller copy. Compression runs on Culacc's server in Germany using Ghostscript — typical reductions are 60–90% — and the original is deleted the moment the compressed copy returns to your browser. No account required.

How to compress a PDF

  1. Pick a quality preset (eBook is the right default for almost everything).
  2. Drop your PDF onto the page above, or click to choose one. Multiple files work too.
  3. Wait a few seconds. The compressed PDF downloads automatically when ready.

Which preset should I pick?

Preset Typical reduction Best for
Screen 80–95% Web previews, email attachments, anything viewed only on a screen
eBook 60–85% Most everyday PDFs — readable on screen and print, balanced quality
Print 30–60% Archival, professional printing, anything where image fidelity matters

Why this isn't done in the browser

The image compressor and PDF merger on this site run entirely in your browser. PDF compression doesn't, and there's a good reason. To shrink a PDF meaningfully you have to re-encode its embedded image streams — that's where 90% of the file size lives. Browser PDF engines (pdf.js, pdf-lib) can't do that re-encoding; only a real PDF processor like Ghostscript can. Doing this in the browser would result in tiny savings that aren't worth the trouble.

So we made the trade-off: the file is sent to our server in Germany over HTTPS, compressed there, and the original is deleted immediately when the compressed copy returns. The result is real, useful compression — typically 60–90% smaller — instead of marginal browser-side savings.

Frequently asked questions

Where is my PDF processed?

On Culacc's EU server in Germany. The file is sent over HTTPS, compressed with Ghostscript, and the original is deleted as soon as the compressed copy returns to your browser. There is no persistent storage for free tool uploads.

How much can I compress?

Most PDFs shrink 60–90% on the eBook preset without visible quality loss. Text-heavy PDFs already compress well; the big savings come from PDFs with embedded images, scans, or large diagrams.

Is the quality going to look bad?

On the eBook preset, no — text stays sharp and images remain perfectly readable. The Screen preset is aggressive enough that high-resolution images start to look softer, which is fine for web previews but not ideal if you'll print the PDF later.

Is there a file size limit?

Currently 50 MB per file on the free tool. Larger files would benefit from a Culacc account where compression runs on your own quota with no per-file cap.

Will the compressed PDF still be searchable and selectable?

Yes. Text stays as real text — you can still copy, select, and search inside the compressed PDF. Compression only re-encodes images and removes redundant data, not the text layer.

Can I save the compressed PDF to my cloud?

Yes — make a free Culacc account (5 GB, every feature unlocked) and use the Save to my Culacc button. The compressed PDF lands in your storage, available on every device you sync.

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