Compress a PDF on your iPhone

How to compress a PDF on iPhone with Scanfone

1. Open Scanfone and open the PDF you want to make smaller, or import it from Files.
2. Choose Compress.
3. Save the compressed copy.
4. Check that the text is still easy to read.
5. Share it, upload it or save it to Files.

Why scanned PDFs get so big

A scanned page is basically a photo, and iPhone cameras take very detailed photos. Multiply that by a twenty-page contract and you have a file that bounces off email size limits and gets rejected by upload forms for job applications, visas, insurance claims and university portals.

Compressing the PDF on your iPhone reduces the file size so it fits through those limits, while keeping the pages readable.

Compress without uploading to a website

The usual advice is to search for "compress PDF online" and drop your file onto whatever site comes up first. That works, but it means handing your passport scan or bank statement to a server you know nothing about. Scanfone compresses the PDF on your phone. Nothing is uploaded unless you turn on Pro sync, and there are no ads, no tracking and no analytics.

Tips for smaller PDFs

Text recognition runs on your phone, so your compressed PDFs can still be searched and the text copied. More on that in OCR text recognition.

• Pick the right filter when you scan. Gray or Black & white usually make lighter files than full Color for plain text documents.
• Delete pages you do not need, such as blank backs, before compressing.
• Split long documents with split PDF and send only the part that was requested.
• Compress after merging. If you combine files with merge PDF, compress the final document rather than each piece.
• Check readability. Zoom in on small print after compressing, especially on forms and receipts.

No paywall at the moment you need it most

You usually discover a file is too big at the worst possible time: two minutes before a deadline, on a form that will not budge. That is exactly when some apps put up a subscription screen. In Scanfone, compressing, saving and sharing PDFs are free and unlimited. No weekly plan, no trial to remember to cancel, no account.

Free PDFs get one small line under each page, "Scanned free with Scanfone". It sits below the content, never over it. Scanfone Pro removes it, along with adding sync and a 1 TB backup, for $2.99 the first year, then $19.99 a year.

Step-by-step guide

If you want a fuller walkthrough, including where to find your compressed file afterwards, read how to compress a PDF on iPhone.

When a smaller PDF helps

Compressing makes a separate, lighter copy that you can share. If you only need a few pages, splitting first and compressing second usually gives the smallest result. And if the recipient wants the text rather than the page, PDF to text exports just the words, which is about as small as a file gets.

• Email attachments that keep bouncing because the file is too large
• Job, visa, university and insurance portals with strict size limits
• Long multi-page scans that you merged from several documents
• Messaging apps where large files are slow to send on mobile data
• Keeping your phone storage from filling up with heavy scans

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