guide8 min
How to Reduce PDF Size in Adobe Acrobat
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By Jennifer White
Quick Answer
FreeConversion compresses your PDFs up to 90% of their original size while preserving visual quality, using 100% local processing via WebAssembly. No uploads, no file limits.
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Reduces PDF size by an average of 78%%
Processing in less than 5 seconds for a 10MB file%
100% of files stay on your device%
Compatible with 99% of PDF readers“Step-by-step guide to compressing PDFs in Adobe Acrobat Pro and free alternatives.”
Adobe Acrobat's compression features are only in the paid Pro version ($20/month).
Using Acrobat Pro DC
- Open PDF in Acrobat Pro
- Go to File → Save As Other → Reduced Size PDF
- Choose compatibility settings
- Click OK and save
Advanced: PDF Optimizer
- Go to File → Save As Other → Optimized PDF
- Click "Audit Space Usage" to see what's large
- Adjust image, font, and cleanup settings
- Click OK
Don't Have Acrobat Pro?
Adobe Reader (free) cannot compress PDFs. Use a free online compressor like FreeConversion instead — similar quality at no cost.
Acrobat Pro Features Worth Paying For
- Batch processing (compress 100+ files at once)
- Advanced editing and form creation
- Digital signatures and security features
- OCR (text recognition) for scanned documents