PDFSlim
Compress PDF files on your PC. Know why a file is big before deciding what to do about it. A 40 MB scan that is 39 MB of pictures and a 40 MB report that is 38 MB of embedded fonts want opposite treatment, and a single Compress button will never tell you which you have. PDFSlim surveys every document first, then gives you the real switches: pictures, page contents and metadata separately, five strengths, and a resolution cap. Nothing is uploaded.
Two 40 MB documents can need opposite treatment. This tells you which one you have.
See it in action
About PDFSlim
Two documents, both 40 MB. One is a scan, and 39 MB of it is photographs of paper. The other is a report, and 38 MB of it is embedded fonts and vector artwork. Squeeze the pictures in the second one and you will save almost nothing, having spent a minute finding that out.
PDFSlim tells you which one you have before you decide anything.
The survey comes first
Every document is measured as it joins the queue, and the pane breaks its weight down: how much is pictures, how much is page contents, how much is metadata and structure. That is the whole reason this app costs more than a button, and it is the thing neither of the quicker compressors in this range will ever show you.
Then the real switches
A resolution cap is usually the setting that matters. A photograph at 4000 pixels across in a document nobody will print is most of the file, and dropping it to 1600 costs nothing anybody will see.
- Pictures, page contents and metadata are three separate toggles. Turn off the ones that are not the problem.
- Five strengths — Barely touched, Light, Moderate, Heavy, Severe — so a document being archived and a document being emailed are not the same decision.
- Cap the longest edge of any picture at 2400 pixels for print, 1600 for screen, or 1100 for email. Or leave pictures at the size they are and compress them where they sit.
Read the result
Each row shows what the document weighed before and after, and the command bar totals it for the whole batch. Nothing is estimated — the figures are what was actually written.
Built for the batch
Drag a folder in, or select documents in File Explorer and send them across with Open with. Each row carries its page count, its size and a preview of the first page. Anything that could not be processed is named individually with the reason, and a single unreadable document never stops the run.
Where the results go
Write compressed copies beside the originals, send them into a folder of their own, or replace the originals in place.
On your PC, only
No account, no sign-in, no upload, no telemetry. Documents are never sent to a server to be compressed, which is what most of the free web tools in this category are doing with them. It works with the network off.
Features
- Surveys every document first and tells you what is actually taking up the room
- A 40 MB scan and a 40 MB report need opposite treatment — this says which you have
- Compress the pictures, the page contents and the metadata separately
- Five strengths, from Barely touched to Severe
- Cap picture resolution at 2400, 1600 or 1100 pixels, or leave it alone
- Before and after sizes per document, and across the whole batch
- Takes a whole folder at once — drag them in, or right-click a selection in File Explorer
- Write the results beside the originals, into a folder you choose, or over the files themselves
- Names every document it could not process, and why, instead of quietly skipping it
- Cancel mid-run; everything already finished stays finished
- Runs entirely on your PC — no account, no upload, no server processing
Details
- Works on
- Windows 10 (1809 or later) and Windows 11
- Download
- About 16.5 MB
- Version
- 2.0.4, updated October 2026
- First released
- June 2023
- Price
- $3.89 once. No subscription.
- Category
- Utilities & tools
What's new in 2.0.4
- Every document is now surveyed before you decide anything: how much of its size is pictures, how much is page contents, how much is metadata
- Pictures, page contents and metadata are now three separate switches rather than one setting
- Added a resolution cap — 2400px for print, 1600px for screen, 1100px for email — which is usually the setting that matters most
- Five compression strengths, from Barely touched to Severe
- Now takes a whole folder in one pass, with before and after sizes per document and across the batch
- A redesigned interface that follows your Windows light or dark theme
Questions
Anything else? Ask us
Which versions of Windows does it run on?
Windows 10 (version 1809 or later) and Windows 11.
Is it a subscription?
No. PDFSlim is a one-time purchase of $3.89, and updates are included.
How do I get it?
EvlarSoft apps are moving to direct downloads from this site. Ask to be notified and we will email you as soon as PDFSlim is ready to download.
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