Optimize PDF
Clean up and optimize PDF structure by removing unused objects and rebuilding the file.
To Word, Excel, JPG and more
Combine multiple PDFs into one
Split a PDF into separate files
Reorder pages by dragging
Pull specific pages out
Pull all images out
Remove pages from PDF
Rotate pages in any direction
Stack one PDF onto another
Reduce PDF file size
Clean up unused data
Make scanned text searchable
Spot the differences between two PDFs
Add text, signatures, shapes
Add your signature anywhere
Add text or image watermark
Number pages as 1, i or A
Add sticky-note comments
Ready-to-use forms to fill online
Add a password
Unlock a PDF with its password
Black out sensitive info
Editable .docx export
Tables as .xlsx
Each page as a JPG
Each page as a PNG
Each page as a WebP
Turn JPG images into a PDF
Turn PNG images into a PDF
Combine JPG, PNG, GIF or WebP into one PDF
Convert .docx to PDF
Convert .xlsx to PDF
Convert .pptx to PDF
Turn an HTML file into a PDF
Capture a webpage
Every page as an image
Plain text as a PDF
Convert .rtf to PDF
Turn GIF images into a PDF
Turn BMP images into a PDF
Turn TIFF images into a PDF
Turn SVG graphics into a PDF
Turn WebP images into a PDF
34 PDF tools in total. Pick a category above or search for one.
Optimize PDF files and clean up what you can't see
Every edit, merge and re-save leaves something behind inside a PDF: old copies of pages, fonts nothing uses anymore, the same image stored twice. Optimize PDF rebuilds the file without that clutter.
The pages themselves stay as they were. Text stays selectable and vector graphics keep their detail at every level; only images are resampled, and only on Medium and High.
Stays
- Every page and its layout
- Text, sharp and selectable
- Vector graphics at full detail
- The page order you uploaded
Goes
- Objects no page refers to
- Repeat copies of one image
- Characters a font never uses
- Author and app details, if you ask
What optimizing does to a PDF
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Clears orphaned objects
Saving a PDF again often keeps old versions of pages, fonts and images inside it. Anything no page points to is removed.
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Repacks internal data
Page descriptions and other internal streams are compressed again, so the same content takes up fewer bytes.
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Trims font data
Embedded fonts are cut down to the characters your document uses, then compressed.
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Stores repeated images once
A logo or header saved on every page is kept a single time and reused wherever it appears.
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Strips metadata, if you ask
With Remove document metadata ticked, the details stored about the file rather than on its pages are cleared too, including the embedded XMP block.
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Never makes it bigger
The result is compared with your upload. If the file was already clean, you get the original back untouched.
Choose how far the clean-up goes
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Low
Cleans up the structure and keeps images close to their original quality. The pick for anything you will print.
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Medium Default
Images are resampled to 150 dpi, which stays crisp on any screen and keeps the file light.
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High
Images drop to 96 dpi for the leanest result. Fine for reading on screen, not meant for print.
How to optimize a PDF
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Add your PDFs
Drop one file or several onto the dropzone, or click to browse.
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Pick a level
Choose Low, Medium or High under Optimization Level.
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Decide on metadata
Tick Remove document metadata to clear author, title and app details as well.
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Optimize and download
Click Optimize PDF, then save the cleaned-up file to your device.
When to clean up a PDF
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After many rounds of editing
Apps that save changes on top of the old file keep earlier versions of your content inside it.
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After merging files
Combining documents with Merge PDF can bring in the same fonts and images more than once.
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Forms filled and saved again
Each save can leave another layer of leftover data behind in the file.
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Before you share it
Remove the metadata so author names and software details stay with you.
Optimizing works on what is stored inside the file, not on what the pages show. It won't make scanned pages searchable, which is a job for OCR PDF, and it won't drop pages you don't need: remove them with Delete pages first, then optimize what is left.
Only need a smaller file?
If all you need is to get under an upload or email size limit, start from Compress PDF.
What else hides in a PDF?
Author and software details are only part of it. Our guide shows what else a PDF can reveal and how to clean it fully.
Optimize PDF questions
Still stuck? Contact us
Optimizing rewrites a PDF so it carries only what its pages need. Orphaned objects are removed, internal data is compressed again, fonts are trimmed to the characters in use and repeated images are stored once. The pages look the same afterwards.
Text and vector graphics stay sharp at every level. Images are only resampled on Medium, to 150 dpi, and on High, to 96 dpi. Choose Low to keep them close to the original.
Pick Low for anything that will be printed, since it keeps images close to the original. Medium suits files that are read on a screen or shared by email, and High is for when image detail matters least and every kilobyte counts.
A scanned page is stored as a picture, so the level decides how much of it survives. Colour and grey scans are resampled to 150 dpi on Medium and 96 dpi on High, black-and-white scans to 150 and 120 dpi. If small print has to stay readable, use Low.
It was most likely clean already: a file straight out of an export has little to remove. When the tool can't improve on your upload, it hands back the original rather than a larger copy.
Yes. Drop several files onto the dropzone and they are optimized one after another with the same level and metadata setting.