How to Compress PDF on Mac  

Books, documents, presentations, and learning resources look great in PDF format. However, you know what’s annoying? They take up disk space and slow down your Mac. So, in this article, I will walk you through the options to compress PDF files on Mac.

Use Built-in PDF Compression Tools on Mac

Using the built-in Mac features, you can manually reduce the size of a PDF. To learn more about the features and how to use them to reduce the size of a PDF file, keep reading.

Use Preview to Reduce PDF File Size

1. Open the PDF file for compression in Preview mode (right-click the document → Open With → Preview).
2. Click “File”→ “Export”in the menu bar. (Do not select PDF export)
3. Fill in the details, such as “Export as”or “Where”.
4. From the drop-down menu next to Crystal Filter, select Reduce File Size.
5. Click Save.

Bravo! You have now saved the compressed PDF to the desired location on Mac without compromising the quality of the PDF.

Use the Shortcut App on Mac to Reduce PDF Size

1. Download Optimize PDF File Size by following the link and clicking “Get Shortcut”.
2. Click Add Label. When prompted, select Add Shortcut again.
3. Launch the Shortcut app using Spotlight search (command + spacebar).
4. Go to Optimize PDF file size → click the Play button.
5. Select PDF → Open → Open. You can compress multiple PDF files at the same time.
6. Close the application.

Now, to view the compressed PDF, navigate to the original location of the PDF.

Third Party PDF Compression Applications

There are many applications that allow you to compress PDF files on Mac without sacrificing quality. While some of them can be expensive, you can also find free ones that allow you to temporarily compress PDF files. The best apps are listed below.

1. PDF Juicer
2. PDF Expert
3. PDF element
4. PDF SEM

Free online PDF compression tools

Another easy way to compress PDF files is by using web tools. Check out the best free websites that let you reduce your PDF below.

1. Adobe Acrobat
2. PDF Compressor
3. I love PDF
4. Small PDF
5. PDF 2 Go

FAQ

You can convert PDF to Word document using a variety of methods, including Mac’s built-in capabilities, online sites, and web apps. You can learn more in our article on how to convert PDF to Word on Mac.

One of the easiest ways to merge two PDFs is available in Mac Preview. Learn how to merge PDF files on Mac to see how it’s done.

Protecting a PDF file with a password is required if it contains confidential information. It can also be a curse if you keep a lot of PDFs around all the time. On a Mac, follow these steps to remove password protection from a PDF file.

The easiest way to edit PDFs on your Mac is to use Soda PDF. The application is an all-in-one solution for converting, editing and creating PDF files online.

What are you using?

Alternatively, you can also compress PDFs using Apple’s own Text Editor app, but I didn’t go through with it because it was a bit difficult.

So, here it is! These are the easiest ways to quickly compress a PDF document. You can choose your preferred strategy or test each one to find the one you like best.