PDF Tools

Optimize PDF for Web

Re-saves a PDF using compressed object streams, and can optionally clear document metadata and flatten form fields. This is a light clean-up, not true linearization (fast web view) and it does not recompress images.

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Up to 1 files

Web Optimization Options

Remove Metadata

Blank the title, author, subject and similar fields

Flatten Forms

Convert form fields to static content

Optimize PDF for web:

Re-saves the PDF with compressed object streams
Optionally strips document metadata and flattens form fields
Does not recompress images and is not true linearization (fast web view)

Tip:

For best results, combine with our Compress PDF tool for maximum size reduction.

How to Use

1Drop one PDF onto the upload area.
2Leave Remove Metadata ticked to clear the title, author, subject, keywords, producer and creator, or untick it to keep them.
3Tick Flatten Forms if you want form fields turned into static content.
4Click Optimize for Web and download the file, named after the original with -web-optimized added.

About this tool

Updated September 19, 2026

A light structural clean-up

The PDF is re-saved using compressed object streams, and you can also clear document metadata and flatten form fields.

Object streams pack the file's internal bookkeeping more efficiently, which trims some size without touching a single pixel of page content. Clearing metadata removes the title, author and producer entries. Flattening turns interactive form fields into ordinary page content, which makes the file render consistently everywhere. Each is optional, so you can take only what you want.

It is not true fast web view

Despite the name, this does not linearize the PDF for progressive loading, and it does not recompress images.

Real linearization reorders a file so a browser can display page one before the rest has downloaded. That is not what happens here, and saying so plainly is more useful than letting the name imply it. Because images are left exactly as they are, a photo-heavy document will not shrink much either — the savings come from structure and from whatever you choose to strip.

How much smaller to expect

Modest. A text-heavy or form-heavy PDF benefits most; an image-heavy one barely moves.

If the bulk of your file is photographs or scans, the weight is in image data that this tool does not touch, so the result will be close to where it started. Compress PDF is the better first stop when size is the actual goal. Think of this page as tidying rather than shrinking, and run it after compression rather than instead of it.

A useful step before publishing

Clearing metadata and flattening forms are both worth doing on anything headed for a public website.

Document properties travel with a file and often name an author, an internal template or the software that produced it, none of which you necessarily meant to publish. Flattened forms also stop a reader rendering fields differently or printing them blank. Together they make a file that behaves predictably for strangers on software you cannot see.

Compress a PDF Without Losing Quality: What Works and What Doesn't
PDFs get big for specific reasons. Here is what actually makes them large, what our Compress PDF tool does and does not do, and practical ways to shrink one.

Features

Saves the PDF with pdf-lib's useObjectStreams option, which can shrink the internal structure
Remove Metadata (on by default) blanks title, author, subject, keywords, producer and creator
Flatten Forms (off by default) bakes form fields into the pages
Does not recompress or downscale images, so image-heavy files change little
One PDF at a time; runs in your browser with no upload

FAQ

Is this real linearization (Fast Web View)?

No. The output is not linearized, so a browser will still need to download the file before it can show later pages. The tool only re-saves the PDF with object streams and, optionally, strips metadata.

What does the Remove Annotations checkbox do?

Nothing at the moment. The checkbox is shown, but the code never reads it when processing, so annotations remain in the output whether it is ticked or not. Don't rely on it to strip comments.

Will my file get much smaller?

Often only a little, and sometimes it doesn't shrink at all. Images are left as they are, and the tool does not report a size saving. For files dominated by images, results will be limited; Compress PDF works the same way, without image recompression.

Are my files uploaded anywhere?

No. The PDF is opened and saved in your browser, so it is not sent to a server for this job.

Compress PDF

Shrink a scanned or photo-heavy PDF by up to 90 percent, or strip its metadata while keeping the text selectable.

PDF Metadata Remover

Blank the title, author, subject, keywords, creator and producer fields of a PDF.

Flatten PDF

Turn fillable PDF form fields into fixed page content that can no longer be edited.