The PDF file is a document originally created by Adobe. When people are dealing with large PDF files, they may want to compress it to reduce size so as to save storage space on disk. This post offered by MiniTool discusses on how to reduce PDF file size on Mac. Please read the methods mentioned on this page carefully.

What is PDF?

PDF is the acronym of Portable Document Format, which is a kind of file format designed by Adobe in 1993. A PDF document can contain text formatting as well as images.

Do you need to reduce PDF size Mac?

The size of PDF files is often larger than that of other kinds of documents. If you have too many PDF files on your device, they may take up much space. Of course, you can ignore this if you have enough free space. But the fact is that many people are running out of disk space on Mac (Windows, or other systems). Besides, some people are reluctant to keep PDF files in large size even though their space is currently enough.

In this case, they need to reduce PDF size Mac promptly. Taking that into account, I’d like to introduce some commonly used ways to help you compress PDF Mac. Please read the methods and steps carefully to know how to compress a PDF on Mac.

Tip: To recover PDF file or any other kinds of files on Mac, you should get a professional recovery tool that supports Mac.

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How to Reduce PDF File Size Mac

How to make a PDF smaller on Mac? This won’t be a question after you reading the following content, which introduces different tools and steps to reduce file size PDF.

[SOLVED] How To Recover Deleted Files On Mac | Complete Guide.

Method 1: Use Adobe

As mentioned at the beginning, the PDF files were generated by Adobe originally. You can also use this application to reduce PDF size on Mac.

The PDF compress process could be done by using two features in Adobe; let’s take a look at both approaches.

#1. Reduced Size PDF

  1. Open Adobe Acrobat Pro on your Mac.
  2. Look at the menu bar and select File from it.
  3. Then, choose Open from its submenu. (What if you can’t open PDF files?)
  4. Browse the drive and select the target PDF file you want to compress.
  5. Click Open.
  6. Select File again from the menu bar.
  7. Choose Save as Other option this time from the submenu.
  8. Select Reduced Size PDF from the next menu.
  9. Choose from the version compatibility you need in the prompt window.
  10. Click on the OK button to save the reduced PDF file.
Tip: You may as well set your compatibility with at least Acrobat X, which is still widely used for now.

Reduced Size PDF

Though this method is simple, you need to know one thing: the quality of images included in the PDF file will be reduced and the digital signatures will be removed.

#2. Optimized PDF

  1. Repeat step 1 ~ 5 mentioned above to open the PDF file in Acrobat.
  2. Also, you need to select File from the menu bar at the top.
  3. Then, navigate to the Save as Other option.
  4. After that, select Optimized PDF from the pop-up menu you see.
  5. The PDF Optimizer window will open.
  6. Please click on the Audit space usage button in the top right corner.
  7. Make changes to the elements that can reduce the file size. The optimizer gives you complete control over them.

Audit space usage

Method 2: Compress PDF in Preview

How to make PDF smaller Mac with the help of Preview:

  1. Double click on the PDF file on Mac to open it in Preview.
  2. Select File from the Preview’s menu bar at the top.
  3. Choose Export from the submenu.
  4. Look for the Quartz Filter option in the pop-up window.
  5. Select Reduce File Size from its drop-down list.
  6. Click Save to keep the changes.
Note: If Preview isn’t the default app, you should right click on the PDF file -> navigate to Open With -> select Preview.

Reduce File Size

Method 3: Reduce PDF Size in Mac Word

While editing a document in Microsoft Word, you can choose to save it to PDF. During this process, you can select minimum size to get a smaller PDF file.

How to shrink PDF file size in Mac Word:

  1. Open the target Word document.
  2. Select File from the menu bar.
  3. Choose Save As from the left side bar.
  4. Look for the Save as type option in the pop-up window.
  5. Select PDF as the target type.
  6. Check Minimum size (publishing online) at the bottom left.
  7. Click Save to confirm.

Minimum size (publishing online)

In addition, you can get a free compressor to help you with PDF compress or reduce PDF size Mac online. Please click here if you are interested in knowing more about how to recover PDF file.

Tips:

Whether you're a student, professional, or casual user, MiniTool PDF Editor caters to all your PDF editing needs - give it a go and see the difference!

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