The iPad is a genuinely good device for reading and marking up documents, but iPadOS still can't restructure a PDF on its own — no merging, no splitting, no page-level editing without a paid app. Safari on iPad runs desktop-class web pages, so a browser tool works properly here rather than in a cut-down mobile view.
Hitting an attachment or upload limit is the most common reason people go looking for a PDF tool at all — the portal rejects a 12 MB file and you need it under 5 MB right now.
2Choose a level: Light keeps text selectable, Balanced suits most documents, Strong makes scans as small as possible.
3Click “Compress PDF” and download the smaller file — you'll see the before and after sizes.
Tap to browse and choose from Files, iCloud Drive or a connected drive. You can also drag a PDF from the Files app into Safari using Split View.
Where the finished file is saved on iPad
Safari saves to the Downloads folder in the Files app. With Split View you can keep Files open beside Safari and drag the finished document straight into another app.
What iPad can’t do on its own
Markup lets you draw and sign with Apple Pencil, and Files can preview and rename — but combining documents, extracting pages or editing text isn't something iPadOS does without third-party software.
FAQ
Can I use Apple Pencil with this?+
For drawing a signature, yes — Apple Pencil works anywhere you can draw with a finger, and gives noticeably better control.
Does this work in Split View alongside other apps?+
Yes. Safari on iPad runs the full desktop experience, so you can keep Files or Mail open beside it and drag documents between them.
How much smaller will my PDF get?+
It depends entirely on what's inside. Scanned documents and photo-heavy files often shrink by 70–90%. A PDF that's mostly text may only shrink a little, because there wasn't much to remove in the first place — we'll show you the real before and after numbers rather than a vague promise.
Will compressing ruin the quality?+
Light is lossless — nothing is degraded at all. Balanced re-encodes pages as images at a quality that still looks clean on screen and in normal printing. Strong prioritises the smallest possible file, so fine detail softens; it's meant for scans you need to read rather than reproduce.
Why is my text no longer selectable after compressing?+
Balanced and Strong work by turning each page into an image, which is what makes big files shrink dramatically — but images have no text layer. If you need to search or copy text afterwards, use the Light level, which keeps the document's text intact.
My file didn't get smaller — why?+
Some PDFs are already fully optimised, and squeezing them further would actually make them bigger. When that happens we hand back your original file untouched instead of a larger “compressed” version. Trying a stronger level usually helps.
Is there a file size limit?+
No fixed limit. Compression runs on your own device, so the practical ceiling is your browser's memory — everyday documents up to around 100 MB work comfortably.
Is pdfcdf free to use?+
Yes. Every tool on pdfcdf is completely free, with no account, no watermarks, and no limits on how many files you process.
Are my files safe? Do they get uploaded?+
Your files never leave your device. Every tool runs entirely in your browser, so your documents are processed locally and are never uploaded to a server or seen by anyone.
Do I need to create an account or sign up?+
No. pdfcdf works instantly with no sign-up, no email, and no software to install — just open the tool and go.
Does it work on mobile phones and tablets?+
Yes. pdfcdf runs in any modern browser on phones, tablets, Mac, Windows and Linux — nothing to download.
