# Free File Size Reducer: Shrink Photos, PDFs, Video and Audio in Your Browser Canonical: https://filevale.com/guides/free-file-size-reducer/ Updated: 2026-10-31 > A free file size reducer for photos, PDFs, videos, audio, Office files and archives. Runs in your browser with no watermarks and nothing uploaded. The quickest free file size reducer is one that takes any file and runs in your browser: open [Reduce File Size](/reduce-file-size/), drop the file, click **Reduce** and download the smaller copy. It handles photos, PDFs, videos, audio, Word, Excel and PowerPoint files and archives, adds no watermark, and never uploads your file. Below: how it treats each file type, and when your device's built-in option is enough. ## What to look for in a free file size reducer Many "free" reducers have a catch. Before you drop a contract or a family video into a random website, check three things: - **Where the file goes.** Most online tools upload it to a server. A browser-based tool does the work on your own device. - **What the result looks like.** Some free tiers stamp a watermark on the output or hold back the download behind a paid plan. - **Which files it takes.** A PDF compressor won't help with a video, so you end up juggling several sites. Filevale's tools run in the browser with nothing uploaded, are free to use right now with no watermarks, and include batch processing and ZIP downloads. ![Reduce Size in the Filevale iPhone app: a photo, a video and a PDF made smaller in one go.](https://filevale.com/assets/app/reduce-file-size.webp) ## Reduce any file in your browser [Open Reduce File Size](https://filevale.com/reduce-file-size/) 1. Open Reduce File Size and drop your file on the page, or click to browse. You can add several at once. 2. Adjust the quality if you like, then click **Reduce**. Everything happens on your device. 3. Download the smaller file. If it isn't small enough, change the options and run it again on the same file. Your original is never changed: you always get a new copy to download. It works in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, Chromebook, iPhone, iPad and Android, with nothing to install. ![Compress Video in the Filevale iPhone app: a 17.8 MB clip reduced to 3.3 MB (-81%) at 720p.](https://filevale.com/assets/app/compress-video.webp) ## What happens to each file type The reducer picks a different method for each kind of file: - **Photos** (JPG, PNG, WEBP, HEIC) are re-encoded as JPEG or WebP at the quality you choose. - **PDFs** have their pages recompressed. - **Videos** (MP4, MOV, M4V, WEBM) become H.264 at a lower bitrate and up to 1280 px wide. - **Audio** (MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC, AAC, OGG) becomes MP3. - **Word, Excel and PowerPoint files** become a compressed PDF, so keep the original if you still need to edit it. - **Archives** (ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, GZ) are re-packed as a ZIP with maximum compression. If you only work with one type, the dedicated tools do the same job: [Compress PDF](/compress-pdf/), [Compress Video](/compress-video/) and [Compress Audio](/compress-audio/). ## When a file won't get smaller Some files are already about as small as they can be, such as a well-compressed JPEG or a ZIP full of photos. In that case the reducer tells you so and keeps the original, instead of handing you a bigger file. ## Find out what makes a PDF big [Open PDF Size Breakdown](https://filevale.com/size-breakdown/) PDF Size Breakdown shows which pages and what content make the PDF heavy, in a page-by-page table right on the page. If one scanned page or a large image is the problem, [Delete PDF Pages](/delete-pdf-pages/) or [Split PDF](/split-pdf/) may get you under the limit faster than compression. The guide on [getting a file under a size limit](/guides/limit-file-size/) covers more of these options. ## Built-in options on your computer or phone You don't always need a separate tool: - **Mac:** open a PDF in Preview, choose *File → Export* and pick the *Reduce File Size* Quartz filter. It works well for scans, though it can make images look soft. - **Windows:** right-click files and choose *Send to → Compressed (zipped) folder*. This bundles them into one ZIP, but it barely shrinks photos, videos or PDFs because they are already compressed. - **iPhone:** when you attach photos in the Mail app, it can offer smaller image sizes before sending. For more file types on the phone itself, the Filevale iPhone and iPad app has the same kind of tools on-device. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is this file size reducer really free? Yes, it is free to use right now. There are no daily limits or watermarks, and batch processing and ZIP downloads are included. Filevale is supported by optional donations. ### Are my files uploaded to a server? No. Reduce File Size runs entirely in your browser using in-browser engines (Canvas, PDF-lib, FFmpeg and libarchive in WebAssembly), so your files never leave your device. That makes it safe for private and confidential documents. ### Will reducing the file size lower the quality? For photos, video and audio, a smaller file means some detail is discarded, so pick the highest quality that still meets your size limit and compare the result. Office files become a PDF, which you can share but no longer edit as a document. Your original file stays untouched either way.