Make a PDF smaller while keeping text selectable
Choose a compression mode by what the recipient needs to read, search, fill in, or print.
ToolMellow ·
Check what must survive
Before compressing, try selecting a sentence in the original PDF. If it already contains only scanned pictures, compression alone will not add searchable text. Check for links, form fields, bookmarks, or other features the recipient needs. Keep the original until you have reviewed the result.
Start with a preserving mode
ToolMellow’s Balanced mode keeps text and vector content while reducing eligible RGB JPEG images. Lower quality or a smaller longest image side can help photo-heavy documents. Preserve quality mode repacks PDF objects and leaves image encoding unchanged. Both modes can share identical embedded images and compatible masks when their bytes and supported settings match. Turn sharing off if you want to keep separate image objects. Neither mode renders every page into a picture.
Expect some files to stay the same size
PNGs, image masks, managed print color workflows, and unsupported image encodings are left unchanged by Balanced mode. Already optimized PDFs can also resist further compression. When the candidate is no smaller, ToolMellow offers the original bytes with an explicit label. It does not describe an unchanged file as compressed.
Use image-only pages for a deliberate reason
Image-only mode draws every page and stores the result as JPEG. It removes selectable text, editable form fields, links, accessibility tags, bookmarks, and attachments. It may help when a visual copy is sufficient. The confirmation box records your choice of this tradeoff; use a preserving mode if the document needs to remain searchable or interactive.
Try a file-size target
Enter an optional target in KB: 1,000 KB means 1 MB. Balanced mode first tries repacking, then samples up to six JPEG quality levels down to 20%; image-only mode samples qualities after your explicit confirmation. Dimensions and resolution keep your chosen values. The search starts every attempt from the original and reports whether the actual output bytes meet the target. If the original already fits, it is returned unchanged. A missed target returns the smallest tested file, not a promise that further reduction is impossible.
Choose grayscale deliberately
Balanced mode can turn optimized JPEG images gray, but text, vectors and retained images keep their original colors. Image-only mode can turn every rendered page gray. These options remove color information from changed pixels; inspect charts and annotations that use color to convey meaning. Original bytes stay available for download.
Review at the destination size
Open the downloaded PDF, inspect fine print and diagrams at full size, try text selection, and check any required fields or links. Compare the actual byte size against the destination’s upload limit. There is no guaranteed target size; if a preserving result remains too large, reduce source images or split the document before sacrificing features the recipient needs.