Files are compressed in your browser and never uploaded.
How to make a Word document smaller
- Drop one or more .docx files onto the box above. Compression starts right away with the Balanced setting.
- Check the before-and-after bars to see what was taking up space, and the list of what changed.
- If the file is still too big, pick Strong and click "Apply new settings to all files."
- Download each file, or all of them in one .zip. Open the result in Word to check the images look right before you send it.
The compressed document keeps all of its text, formatting, tables, comments, and tracked changes. Only the stored copies of images are made smaller, plus any leftover data you choose to remove.
What makes a DOCX file so large?
A .docx file is a ZIP folder of XML files and media. The text itself is almost never the problem: a 100-page report of plain text is usually well under 1 MB. Size comes from what's attached to the text, and the bars above show exactly which of these is to blame in your file.
| Cause | Why it's big | What this tool does |
|---|---|---|
| Phone and camera photos | A 12-megapixel photo is 4000 pixels wide even when it's shown 3 inches wide on the page. | Resizes each photo to the size it's actually displayed at, then re-saves it as an efficient JPEG. |
| Photos saved as PNG | PNG is lossless, so a photo pasted from a screenshot tool or website can be 5 to 10 times larger than the JPEG version. | Converts it to JPEG, but only when the image has no transparency and the saving is large, which rules out diagrams and screenshots of text. |
| BMP images | Completely uncompressed. | Converts to PNG or JPEG, whichever is smaller. |
| Embedded fonts | "Embed fonts in the file" can add several megabytes per font family. | Removes them if you choose, and turns the setting off in the document. |
| Deleted images | Word sometimes keeps images you removed or replaced. | Deletes images that nothing in the document points to. |
| Embedded spreadsheets and objects | A pasted Excel chart can carry the entire workbook. | Leaves them alone and shows how much space they use, so you can decide whether to paste them as pictures instead. |
Choosing a compression level
Lossless never touches image pixels. It removes unused data and recompresses the ZIP at maximum strength. Savings are usually modest, from 2 to 15 percent, but nothing changes visually. Balanced keeps 220 pixels per inch at the size each image appears on the page, which looks sharp on screens and in normal office printing. Strong keeps 150 pixels per inch at JPEG quality 65, the right choice for email attachments, upload limits, and documents that will only be read on screen.
This tool works out each image's printed size from the document itself. A photo displayed at 3 by 2 inches is resized for that space, while a full-page photo in the same file keeps more pixels. Images are never enlarged, and an image is only replaced when the new version is actually smaller.
Compressing images in Word itself
Word has a built-in option: select a picture, go to Picture Format, then Compress Pictures, untick "Apply only to this picture," and choose a resolution. It works, but it can't convert PNG photos to JPEG, doesn't remove embedded fonts, and is only available in the desktop version of Word. Also check File, Options, Advanced, Image Size and Quality: turning on "Discard editing data" stops Word keeping a full-size copy of every image you've cropped or edited.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to compress a Word document online?
With this tool, the document never leaves your computer. It's opened and rebuilt by JavaScript in your browser tab, so nothing is uploaded to a server. That makes it suitable for contracts, reports, and other confidential files.
Will compressing change my formatting or text?
No. Text, styles, tables, headers, footers, comments, and tracked changes are copied across unchanged. Images stay the same size and position on the page. The only visible difference can be slightly softer photos at the Strong setting.
Why didn't my file get much smaller?
If the document is mostly text, or its images are already compressed JPEGs at a sensible size, there's little left to remove. Check the bars: embedded objects such as Excel workbooks and vector graphics (EMF and WMF files) can't be compressed here. Replacing an embedded chart with a pasted picture of it often makes the biggest difference.
Can I compress an old .doc file?
Not directly. The older .doc format is a completely different kind of file. Open it in Word and use File, Save As, Word Document (.docx), then compress the new file. Converting alone often makes it smaller.
Does it work with password-protected documents?
No. An encrypted Word file can't be opened without the password, so remove the password in Word first (File, Info, Protect Document), compress it, then add the password back.
What does removing embedded fonts do?
If the author chose to embed fonts, the document carries its own copy of each typeface so it looks identical on any computer. Removing them saves space, but anyone who doesn't have those fonts installed will see a substitute. Leave the option off for documents that use unusual or brand fonts.
What are "editing IDs"?
Word tags text with revision session numbers (called rsid values) so it can merge versions of a document. They have no effect on how the document looks or behaves, and removing them trims the internal XML. Tracked changes and comments are separate and are never removed.