How to compress a pdf file on mac without losing quality

Preview, Mac’s native preinstalled app offering a free built-in workflow to carry out how to shrink pdf file size mac without third-party downloads, often over-compresses embedded images via its fixed compression filter and lacks customizable compression settings for graphic-heavy PDFs.

How to shrink PDF File Size Mac

Step 1: Open the target PDF file in Preview.

Step 2: Click File → Export in the top menu bar.

Step 3: Check the “Encrypt” checkbox.

Step 4: Expand the Quartz Filters drop-down menu and select the “Reduce File Size” preset.

Finally, click Save to save the new, compressed, smaller PDF file.

The built-in preview workflow completely solves the problem of reducing the size of PDF files on a Mac to meet everyday needs. It works well for simple text-based PDFs shared via email, but is not recommended for high-resolution graphic PDFs that require clear image output.

Pros:

• Pre-installed on all Mac devices,
• No watermarks, and fast PDF compression
• Supports offline use without an internet connection

Cons:

• The “Reduce File Size” filter compresses images too aggressively, causing photos and graphics to become blurry
• No custom compression slider to balance file size and visual quality
• For plain-text PDFs with few images, the reduction in file size is minimal