How to Make a PDF Smaller on Windows

Why PDFs get too big

In most large PDFs, the weight is in the pictures: photographs, scans and screenshots saved at far more detail than a screen or an email needs. Monstera makes those pictures smaller and leaves the rest alone, so the text stays sharp and searchable and nothing else in the document changes.

How to make a smaller copy in Monstera

1. Open the PDF

   Install Monstera free from the Microsoft Store and open the document.

2. Open Compress

   In the rail, choose Tools, then Compress in the Convert group. Its full name is Save a smaller copy.

3. Choose the image quality

   In Image quality, choose High, Medium or Low — the smallest file.

4. Check the size

   Choose Check the size. Monstera shows the size of the document now and the size the copy will be.

5. Save the copy

   If the copy is smaller, choose Choose where to save and save it as a new file.

Which quality to choose

• High keeps the most picture detail and saves the least space.
• Medium sits between the two.
• Low gives the smallest file, for when the size limit matters more than picture detail.

Because you see the size before you save, you can try one setting, check, and try another.

Good to know

• Only pictures are made smaller. Text, pages, comments and tags stay as they are.
• Your original stays. The open document is not changed, and the copy cannot be saved over it.
• No pointless copies. If the copy would not be smaller, Monstera does not save it.
• Changed something after checking? Check the size again before saving.
• Too many pages, not too much detail? Split the PDF into parts instead.

Questions

Does making a PDF smaller reduce the text quality?

No. Only the pictures in the document are made smaller. Text, pages, comments and tags stay exactly as they were.

Will compressing change my original file?

No. Monstera saves a separate smaller copy, and it cannot be saved over the document you have open.

Is my PDF uploaded to compress it?

No. The smaller copy is made on your own computer, with no internet connection needed.

Full instructions in the Help

• Make a smaller copy of a PDF

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