File tools that never leave your device.

HandyCompress is a free suite of file tools that runs entirely in your web browser — compress PDFs and images, convert HEIC and between image formats, redact sensitive details, scan documents with your phone, and merge or split PDFs. No signup, no watermark, no file-size or daily limits.

The problem it solves is trust. Most "free online file tools" upload your file to a server to do the work. For a holiday snapshot that's harmless — but people most often need these tools for the opposite kind of file: a contract, a tax form, a passport scan, a medical record, a bank statement. HandyCompress does all the processing on your own device using WebAssembly, so your files are never transmitted anywhere. You can disconnect from the internet after the page loads and every tool still works. Nothing to upload means nothing to leak.

New here? Read how it works and how to verify it, or browse the guides.

Truly private

Every tool runs in WebAssembly on your CPU. Disconnect WiFi after the page loads — they still work.

No limits

Drop a 500 MB PDF or a thousand photos. Your device's RAM is the only cap.

Faster on big files

Processing starts on drop. No upload wait, no download wait. Faster than any server-based tool.

Why Compress?

Large files create real friction — for email, for the web, and for privacy. Here's why compression matters and how HandyCompress solves it differently.

Email attachment limits are strict

Gmail caps attachments at 25 MB, Outlook at 20 MB, and many business servers at 10 MB. A single scanned PDF, a few iPhone photos (12–48 MP), or a short-form video can easily exceed those limits. Compressing before you send keeps files deliverable without downgrading to a file-sharing link.

Uncompressed images slow down your website

Every extra megabyte of images adds roughly 1–2 seconds to mobile page load time. Google uses Core Web Vitals — Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) in particular — as a direct ranking signal. Compressing a JPEG from 4 MB to 200 KB at the same visual quality is a common, high-impact optimization that takes seconds with the right tool.

You should choose the quality — not the tool

Many online compressors apply aggressive, one-size-fits-all settings and hand back a file with no explanation of what changed. HandyCompress lets you set a target file size (e.g. "under 1 MB for an email") or a manual quality level, then shows you a side-by-side before/after comparison so you can see exactly what you're trading. Compression is lossy — you deserve to make that call.

Server-based tools see your files — we can't

Tax returns, contracts, medical records, personal photos — most people compress exactly the documents they'd least want a stranger to read. When you upload to a server-based compressor, you're trusting that provider's security practices, data-retention policy, and staff access controls. HandyCompress runs entirely in your browser using WebAssembly: the file is processed by your own CPU and the compressed result is downloaded directly. Nothing ever reaches a server.

Photos carry hidden location and device data

Every JPEG shot on a smartphone embeds EXIF metadata: GPS coordinates, timestamp, device make/model, and sometimes the owner's name. When you share or post that image, anyone who downloads it can extract your home address if you took the photo there. Stripping EXIF is a one-click step that removes this invisible payload before you share.

PDF compression shouldn't destroy selectable text

Some compressors "flatten" PDFs by converting every page to a low-resolution image — text becomes a blurry picture, copy-paste stops working, and screen readers fail. HandyCompress uses structural PDF compression: it resamples only the embedded JPEG images while leaving fonts, text layers, vector graphics, and hyperlinks completely intact. The result is a smaller file that stays a proper, searchable PDF.

How can a website work without uploading your files?

It sounds like a trick, so here's exactly what happens when you drop a file on HandyCompress:

1

Your browser downloads the engine, not the other way around

When the page loads, your browser fetches a small compression engine compiled to WebAssembly — the same technology that runs Photoshop on the web and AutoCAD in a browser tab. This is the only download involved, and it happens before you've even picked a file.
2

Your file is read into your browser's memory — and stays there

When you drop a file, the browser reads it into RAM on your machine. There's no hidden upload: you can open your browser's Network tab and watch — zero bytes leave your device while a file is being processed. You can even disconnect from the internet entirely and the tools keep working.
3

Your own CPU does the compression

The WebAssembly engine recompresses your images or restructures your PDF using your computer's processor. That's why there's no queue and no per-file cost — and why it's often faster than server tools, which spend most of their time uploading and downloading your file.
4

The result is saved straight from memory to your disk

Clicking download moves the finished file from browser memory to your downloads folder. Close the tab and everything is gone — there is no server copy to delete because there was never a server copy at all.

This architecture is why we can offer every tool free with no limits: processing costs us nothing because your device does the work. The site is supported by a few display ads around the written content — never inside the tools.

From the guides

Practical articles on compression, formats, and photo privacy — written by the people who build these tools.

PDF

How to compress a PDF to meet any upload size limit

Court portals, job applications, 6 MB caps — and how to hit a target size without destroying selectable text.

What is EXIF data — and why strip it before sharing photos

Your photos embed GPS coordinates and device details. Which platforms remove them — and which don't.

HEIC vs JPG vs PNG vs WebP vs AVIF, compared

Five formats, five trade-offs — and a simple decision rule for email, web, and archiving.

F.A.Q.

Are my files uploaded to your server?

No — and we structurally can't be. Every tool on HandyCompress runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly. The file is read into your browser's memory, processed by your own CPU, and the result is downloaded — without ever leaving your device. You can verify this by opening your browser's Network tab and watching for zero data leaving while you work, or by disconnecting your WiFi after the page loads.

Is this really free? What's the catch?

Really free, no catch. Because the processing happens on your computer instead of our servers, our cost per file is zero. We pay for static hosting (a fixed cost regardless of usage), so there's no economic reason to gate anything behind a paywall. The site is supported by ads placed below the tool, never inside the workflow.

What's the maximum file size?

There's no artificial cap. The only real limit is your own device's RAM — a modern laptop can handle PDFs up to a few hundred MB and folders of hundreds of images without trouble. Phones have less memory, so very large files may be slow on mobile.

How many files can I compress at once?

There's no artificial limit on the queue. Drop 5 files or 500 — they all get added. Files are processed one at a time, in order, so peak memory stays flat regardless of batch size: each file's pixel buffer is released before the next starts. That's why batches of hundreds work on a normal laptop. The real ceiling is your device's RAM: a modern laptop comfortably handles hundreds of photos or several hundred-MB PDFs; phones have less memory and may slow down on very large batches. A parallel processing mode (multiple files at once via Web Workers) is on the roadmap for a 3–5× batch speedup on multi-core machines.

Does it work offline?

Yes, after the first visit. HandyCompress is a Progressive Web App — the tools cache locally and run even with the network disconnected. You can install it to your home screen and use it like a native app.

What makes HandyCompress different?

Most free online tools upload your files to their servers to process them. For sensitive documents — contracts, tax forms, medical records, personal photos — that's a meaningful privacy concession. HandyCompress processes everything on your device, so the file never leaves. We also have no file-count or daily-use caps because we have no per-file cost.