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5 Ways & 4 Tips for How to Reduce PDF File Size

August 4, 2023 2.2K views

Large PDF files take longer to upload, download, and share with others, causing delays in workflow and productivity. Reducing PDF file size offers benefits such as faster file transfer, improved storage efficiency, compatibility with systems and devices, easier accessibility, and cost savings. So it will be useful for us to know more ways of how to reduce pdf file size.

Part 1:5 Ways to Reduce PDF File Size Free

Problem: You created a pdf file that holds images, graphics, tables, and figures and you don’t know how to reduce pdf file size.  Let’s check the file size by right-clicking on the pdf and selecting “properties”.

The file size is 310 KB. We will now reduce the pdf file size and compress the file.

Solution: Here are 5 ways you can reduce the pdf file size by using pdf compressors for free.

1. Use WPS Office PDF Compressor

The latest version of WPS gives you the option of reformatting pdfs and compressing them to a smaller pdf size. 

Step 1:Open WPS Office on your laptop, Go to “PDF” on the home page.

Step 2:Select “PDF Compress”

Step 3:This will open a smaller window where you need to select the pdf file that you want to reduce the size.

Step 4:Choose the file we chose a few steps back to check the file size.

We saw that the pdf size was 310 KB which is now reduced to 233 KB. The bigger the file, the bigger the difference will be after pdf compression.

2. Use WPS PDF Tools Online

Step 1:Go to the WPS official website and select WPS PDF Tools

Step 2:Go to “Compressing PDF” to begin.

You can use this tool to reduce the pdf size of your document by up to 60% using WPS Office.

3. Use Adobe Acrobat’s PDF Optimizer

For more control over which elements of a pdf document are reduced in quality or removed, use the PDF optimizer tool. Before optimizing, audit the pdf's space usage to identify areas where size can be reduced. In Adobe Acrobat, select "File," then "Save as Other," and choose "Optimized PDF." Click "Audit space usage" to view a table of information.

4. Reduce PDFs Size in Microsoft Word

When saving a Word file, you can directly save it as a pdf. 

Step 1:Go to “File” and click “Save as”. You can change the format of the file from “Word docs” to “PDF”. Below that, you will see a tab for “More options”

Step 2:Select “Minimum size(Publishing online)” and click save to get a reduced size for the pdf file.

5. Reduce PDFs Size with Print-to-PDF Size Compressor

There is other PDF software available online and offline that can easily reduce the size of a pdf file. One of these options is to download PrimoPDF from google as an extension. Go to the pdf file you wish the compress, click “ctrl+P” to go to print, and then go to “Create PDF”. You can customize the file to a smaller size.

Part 2:4 Tips to Reduce PDFs Size When Creating PDF

Tip # 1: Select the Most Appropriate Tool

The tool you select to compress the size of your pdf file is key to getting your desired file size. WPS Office is one of the best tools on the market and you can start your free trial today to compress your pdf files.

Pros

  • Compress pdf files by >60%

  • User-Friendly process

  • Customizable quality of pdf from “HD” to “Normal”

  • The free version of the software available for download

Cons

  • You need the premium version for HD-quality pdf files after conversion

  • Will distort low-quality images when compressed to “Normal”

Tip #2: Make your Images Smaller

No one wants to compromise on the quality of graphics and images when compressing a pdf file to reduce its size. What you can do is compress each image individually. Smaller images will lead to a smaller-sized document. This document may not need to be compressed to reduce pdf size any further.

Tip #3: Remove Clutter from the PDF Document

You may discover some unnecessary elements in your written pdf document such as colored graphics which can be changed to black and white. See if you can eradicate some of the pictures your pdf document can do without. This will automatically create a smaller size document.

Tip #4: Adjusting the PDF export settings

While exporting the document out of Word to PDF, make sure you customize the settings. 

Step 1:Go to Word and click “file” and then “export”. Choose “Create PDF”

Step 2:Select “Minimum size (publishing online)”. This will publish a smaller size pdf file online which can be downloaded on your PC.

FAQs of Reducing PDF File Size

Q1: How to reduce PDF file size for free?

A: You can WPS Office free version to compress pdf files to a smaller size. You can even save your Word files in a smaller size before converting them to pdf. Many online converters such as WPS Tools and Adobe can offer PDF resizing for free.

Q2: How do I reduce PDF file size to 100KB for free?

A: You can try to use WPS PDF to get a file that’s below 100KB in size. Simply select the file you want to convert and start compressing. This will take a minute or so depending on the size of the file.

Q3: How to reduce PDF file size without losing quality?

A: Use WPS online PDF Tools to convert your file to a smaller version without compromising on the file quality. You can even use paid platforms such as Adobe Pro to reduce the pdf files to a desired size while remaining high-quality.

Free Trial to Reduce PDF File Size - WPS Office

This article provides a detailed account of how to reduce the size of a pdf file. WPS Office has all the tools you will need to edit, resize, view, and reduce the PDF file size.  WPS Office can provide the tools you need to make sure you download a compressed file. WPS PDF Tools are available for free online as well as in the free desktop version. make pdf smaller,you can help yourself by creating documents with smaller images, and unnecessary graphics to reduce the pdf file size before compressing. Download WPS Office from the official website and start today!

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15 years of office industry experience, tech lover and copywriter. Follow me for product reviews, comparisons, and recommendations for new apps and software.