Compress a PDF in Safari (30 seconds)
Airplane mode is not needed: but you can try it to prove the file never uploads.
- 1. In Safari, go to shrinklyy.site and choose your target size (e.g., 200 KB for a strict portal).
- 2. Tap Choose file → Browse → pick the PDF from Files (Recents, Downloads, iCloud Drive, or On My iPhone).
- 3. The page compresses locally: watch the progress, then tap Download.
- 4. Safari saves to Downloads in Files. Open the file to verify, then Share via Mail, Messages, or the portal upload button.
Where PDFs live on iPhone
iOS scatters PDFs but Files unifies them:
- Downloads: Safari’s default save location. Files → Browse → Downloads.
- Mail: long-press an attachment → Save to Files → pick a folder.
- iCloud Drive: if a file was shared via iCloud, it appears under iCloud Drive.
- Photos: you cannot pick directly from Photos for PDF compression; first save/share as PDF to Files, then compress.
Scanning on iPhone the right way
Notes and Files both include scanners: Files → … → Scan Documents, or Notes → Camera → Scan Documents. They auto-crop and save as PDF at a sensible resolution. Prefer these over a plain camera photo: you get a true PDF with much smaller size.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about this topic.
iOS confirms downloads for privacy. Tap Download on the prompt: the file saves to Files → Downloads and never leaves your iPhone during compression.
Yes. In WhatsApp, open the PDF → Share → Save to Files → save to Downloads, then compress that copy in Safari. The original stays in WhatsApp.
The page needs to load first, but processing is local. If Safari has the page open, you can even enable Airplane Mode and still compress: proving the file never leaves your device.
Try these tools
Matched to the workflow described in this guide.