How to Reduce PDF File Size Mac Without Losing Quality - 4 Ways

Part 1: How to Reduce PDF File Size Mac Without Losing Quality

One of the most effective ways to compress PDFs while keeping the original quality intact is using Tenorshare PDNob . This software is designed to provide a balance between high compression and minimal quality loss, making it an ideal PDF compressor for Mac OS X and Windows solution.

It works efficiently for text-heavy documents, image-rich files, scanned PDFs, and large reports. In addition to compression, PDNob PDF Editor offers a wide range of PDF management tools, including editing, converting, combining, protecting, and applying OCR to scanned files.

Key Advantages:

• Maintains original text and image quality with lossless compression, ensuring your PDFs remain clear and readable.
• Converts PDFs to multiple formats, including Word, Excel, PPT, JPEG, PNG, and more, for versatile file usage.
• Offers batch compression, allowing multiple PDFs to be reduced in size simultaneously without extra effort.
• Supports advanced editing tools, including text, images, watermarks, links, and backgrounds, for full PDF control.
• Includes a world-leading OCR feature to accurately process scanned PDFs and make them searchable and editable.

Lossy vs. Lossless Compression

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PDNob PDF Editor uses lossless compression for most professional users of how to reduce pdf file size mac, so you can confidently reduce file size without losing clarity.

Steps to Reduce PDF Size Mac Without Losing Quality

• Open Your PDF in PDNob

  Launch PDNob PDF Editor and load the PDF file you want to compress. Once it’s open, look at the top toolbar and click on the tools and then click the “Compress”.

  

• Choose the Compression Option

  From the dropdown menu that appears, select “Compressed PDF”. This will open up a new window with several compression levels to choose from.

• Select Your Desired Compression Level

  You’ll see options like: High quality, Middle quality and Low quality.

  

  The lower the quality you pick, the smaller the final file size will be. Just keep in mind—more compression might take a few extra seconds.

• Save Your Compressed PDF

  Once you’ve picked your compression level, hit the “Compress Button” button. Choose where to save the new file, give it a name, and click “Compress”.

Video Guide on How to Compress PDF Mac Without Losing Quality

Part 2: How to Shrink PDF File Size Mac in Preview

Mac’s built-in Preview app is a convenient free option to how to shrink PDF file size Mac, though it has some limitations.

Basic Preview Method (Quartz Filter)

Preview is the built-in PDF viewer and editor on macOS, offering basic tools for viewing, editing, and compressing PDFs without needing extra software. It’s convenient for quick compression, especially when you don’t want to rely on online tools.

Step-by-Step Guide to Compress PDFs in Preview

• Launch Preview and open the PDF file you want to shrink. Then go to File > Export.

• In the pop-up window, rename your file if needed and make sure the format is set to PDF.
• Click the Quartz Filter dropdown and select Reduce File Size.

Optional Settings for Better Control

• Create PDF/A: Makes the PDF suitable for long-term archiving by embedding fonts and removing interactive features.
• Create Linearized PDF: Helps PDFs load faster online by displaying the first page before the full file downloads.
• Optimize Images for Screen (macOS 15+): Reduces image quality for smaller file size, good for viewing but not printing.
• Save Images as JPEG (macOS 15+): Converts images to JPEG for stronger compression, ideal for image-heavy PDFs but may lower quality.
• Click Save to export your compressed PDF.

Test result: A 10MB PDF shrank to 7MB, but images may become slightly blurred.

Advanced Trick: Create Custom Filters with ColorSync

If you want more control over how much your PDF is compressed, macOS offers a hidden trick using the built-in Quartz Filter. This tool is part of Mac’s graphics system and allows you to fine-tune how PDFs and images are handled, helping you make a PDF smaller file size without losing too much quality.

• Go to Launchpad, search for ColorSync Utility, and open it.

• In the Filters tab, locate Reduce File Size under Builtin Filters. Click Duplicate and rename your new custom filter.

• Expand your custom filter and tweak settings like image resolution (e.g., 150 DPI or 300 DPI) and JPEG quality. This lets you balance file size with image clarity.

• When exporting a PDF from Preview, select your custom filter from the Quartz Filter dropdown menu.

By creating a custom Quartz Filter, you can shrink PDFs while maintaining better image quality than the default Preview compression.

When Preview Is Not Enough

For large or image-heavy PDFs, Preview may degrade quality. Tools like PDNob PDF Editor are better for maintaining sharp images while compressing files.

Part 3: How to Compress a PDF on Mac Online Free

If you don’t want to install software, online tools can help how to compress a PDF on Mac easily.

Adobe Acrobat Online

If you don’t want to install any software, you can easily compress a PDF on Mac using online tools like Adobe Acrobat Online. This method is convenient for quick compression of documents without affecting your system. Follow these simple steps to reduce your PDF size in minutes.

• Visit Adobe Acrobat Online Compress PDF.
• Upload the PDF file you want to compress.
• Select the compression level Basic for minor reduction or Strong for maximum compression.

• Download the compressed PDF to your Mac.

PDNob Online PDF Compressor

If you want to reduce PDF size Mac quickly without installing any software,PDNob Online PDF Compressor is a convenient option. It allows you to compress files directly from your browser while keeping good quality. Follow these simple steps to shrink your PDF efficiently.

• Go to PDNob Online Compress PDF.
• Upload the PDF file you want to compress.

• Choose your desired compression settings based on file size and quality.

• Download the compressed PDF to your Mac.

Note:

Online tools are convenient but less secure for confidential PDFs.

Part 4: Which Is the Best PDF Compressor for Mac?

Choosing the best tool depends on your needs. Here's a simple decision framework:

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Best Free Option for Occasional Use

Preview is free and easy but works best with small, simple PDFs.

Best Professional Tool for Long-Term Use

PDNob PDF Editor offers batch compression, full quality control, and multiple file conversions. It’s ideal for professionals sending large reports or portfolios.

Best Balance of Speed + Quality

PDNob PDF Editor strikes a balance between speed and output quality, making it the most versatile PDF reducer Mac.

Part 5: FAQs About Reducing PDF Size on Mac

Q1: How do I make a PDF smaller on Mac without losing quality?

Use PDNob PDF Editor with lossless compression. It keeps text sharp and images clear.

Q2: Why did Preview make my PDF bigger instead of smaller?

Preview’s Quartz Filter sometimes reprocesses files, especially scanned PDFs, increasing size instead of shrinking it.

Q3: What is the safest way to compress sensitive PDFs?

Use an offline tool like PDNob PDF Editor. It avoids security risks from uploading to online platforms.

Q4: Is online compression secure for confidential documents?

Some online services offer encryption and auto-deletion, but offline tools remain safest for sensitive files.

Q5: How to compress multiple PDFs at once on Mac?

Preview cannot batch compress. PDNob PDF Editor allows multiple files to be compressed simultaneously.

Conclusion

Learning how to reduce PDF file size on Mac is essential for large documents. You can use Preview, online tools, or professional software like Tenorshare PDNob PDF Editor for high-quality compression. Tenorshare PDNob efficiently shrinks PDFs while keeping them readable and professional.

downloads :

PDNob PDF Editor Software- Smarter, Faster, Easier

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• Instantly read, summarize, and extract insights from PDF
• Convert PDF to 30+ formats like Word, Excel, and images
• Edit text, images, watermarks, links, and backgrounds for PDF
• 99% OCR precision for making scanned PDFs editable and searchable

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