Blog
Mac and Windows both have built-in ways to handle PDFs — but neither has a good compression tool built in. Mac Preview can reduce file size but destroys quality. Windows has no native PDF compressor at all. Adobe costs $22/month. Browser tools fill the gap.
| Method | Platform | Quality Control | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Acrobat | Mac/Win | ✓ Detailed settings | $22.99/mo |
| Mac Preview (Reduce File Size) | Mac only | ✗ No control — aggressive | Free |
| Windows (none built-in) | Windows | ✗ No native tool | — |
| SmallPDF / iLovePDF | Any (web) | ~Limited on free tier | Free (limited) |
| Browser-local tool | Any | ✓ Choose compression level | Free |
Mac-specific tip: If your PDF came from a scan (Image Capture or iPhone), it is likely already large (10-50MB). Medium compression typically cuts these by 60-70% with no visible quality loss on screen.
Windows-specific tip: PDFs created by Microsoft Print to PDF are often larger than necessary. Compressing these typically saves 30-50% with no quality loss — the tool removes redundant data that Print to PDF adds.
| Level | Size Reduction | Best For | Image Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 20-40% | Archiving, printing, legal documents | ✓ Near-original quality |
| Medium | 40-65% | Email attachments, sharing, presentations | ✓ Good — invisible loss on screen |
| High | 60-80% | Quick sharing, web upload, storage cleanup | ~Noticeable on zoom/print |
Preview's "Reduce File Size" export filter uses a single fixed algorithm. It crushes images to 72 DPI with heavy JPEG compression. Results:
The browser tool lets you choose how much to compress — so you can keep quality where it matters.
Compress your PDF now — works on Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Open Compress Tool