Compress
Compress makes a smaller PDF of a document, for an email that won’t take big attachments or a form that says “2 MB maximum”. The document in Paperwise doesn’t change: only the PDF you share is smaller.
What it is
The Compress screen shows how big the document is as a PDF (“This document as a PDF: ≈ 4.2 MB”), then four choices, each with its estimated size:
| Choice | For |
|---|---|
| Smaller | Good for most uses |
| Smallest | Still readable on screen |
| Under 1 MB | For email and forms |
| Under 2 MB | For uploads with a limit |
When a document is already small enough for a choice, that row says so (“Already under 2 MB”).
The PDF keeps everything a normal PDF has: signatures, annotations, the document’s watermark and timestamp, and (with Pro) its searchable text.
Step by step
- Open the document and tap Share.
- With PDF picked, tap Make it smaller… under Quality. Or tap Tools, then Compress under Convert, and pick the document.
- Choose Smaller, Smallest, Under 1 MB or Under 2 MB.
- Tap Share compressed PDF. Paperwise tells you the real size (“Compressed PDF: 840 KB”), then the iOS share sheet opens.
- Pick Mail, Messages, Save to Files or any other app.
Free and Pro
Compress is free.
Privacy
- The smaller PDF is made on your iPhone. Nothing is sent to our server.
- The file exists only while you share it, and is deleted when the share sheet closes.
- An ID, a medical paper, a bank statement or a tax paper asks for Face ID first, as it does for Share.
Tips
- Smaller is plenty for most emails. Keep Smallest for documents people will only read on screen.
- For a password or a one-time watermark, use the Share sheet’s own options instead: Compress doesn’t add them.
- Compress isn’t offered for documents in a private vault.
What if…
What if it can’t get under the size I picked?
Paperwise shares the smallest file it can make and tells you, for example: “Smallest possible: 1.3 MB. Split the document to go under 1 MB.” Split the document into parts and compress each one. See Split and merge.
What if it says to wait?
“Wait for the pages to finish cleaning up.” Some pages are still being processed. Try again in a moment.
Related
Still stuck? Write to support@paperwise.app.