{"id":2078,"date":"2026-11-01T15:13:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T20:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/?p=2078"},"modified":"2026-08-31T23:08:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T03:08:25","slug":"compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz","title":{"rendered":"Compress PDF on Mac: Why Preview&#8217;s Reduce File Size Ruins It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You opened a 40 MB scanned contract in Preview, chose <strong>File &gt; Export<\/strong>, picked <strong>Reduce File Size<\/strong> from the Quartz Filter menu, and got back something that either barely shrank or looks like it was faxed twice. That is not you doing it wrong. Preview\u2019s Reduce File Size is a single fixed filter with no strength control and no published parameters, and Apple\u2019s own documentation warns that \u201cthe resulting file size and image quality may vary.\u201d Here is what that filter actually does, the three export checkboxes almost nobody notices, how to build a version you can control without leaving macOS, and when to stop fighting it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> <strong>Reduce File Size<\/strong> is one preset Quartz filter applied in <strong>File &gt; Export<\/strong>. It works by resampling and re-compressing the <em>images<\/em> inside the PDF, so a text-and-vector PDF barely moves while a scan gets visibly softer \u2014 with no dial to back off. Apple does not publish the filter\u2019s settings. Your two real options: build a <strong>custom Quartz filter in ColorSync Utility<\/strong> where you set the image size, bit depth and compression yourself, or use a compressor that publishes a preset ladder, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/compress-pdf\">xconvert\u2019s PDF compressor<\/a> with its <strong>Screen (72 DPI) \u2192 Ebook (150 DPI) \u2192 Default \u2192 Prepress \u2192 Printer<\/strong> tiers, in that order on the control.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Jump to a section<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"#what\">What \u201cReduce File Size\u201d actually is<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#checkboxes\">The three export checkboxes almost nobody notices<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#unpredictable\">Why the result is unpredictable<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#colorsync\">Build your own Quartz filter in ColorSync Utility<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#presets\">The alternative: a documented preset ladder<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#tool\">Compress a PDF on xconvert<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#faq\">FAQ<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what\">What \u201cReduce File Size\u201d actually is<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is a <strong>Quartz filter<\/strong> \u2014 a small macOS document describing transformations applied to a PDF as it is written out. Apple\u2019s Preview User Guide says where it lives: open the PDF, choose <strong>File &gt; Export<\/strong>, and \u201cin the Quartz Filter pop-up menu, choose Reduce File Size.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The same pop-up menu holds the decorative filters \u2014 Black &amp; White, Sepia Tone and the rest. Reduce File Size sits in that list because it is built the same way, not because it is a compression <em>engine<\/em>: one filter, one set of values, applied identically to a five-page invoice and a 300-page scanned deposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What can a Quartz filter change? Apple documents the component types in the ColorSync Utility User Guide, where filters are actually authored:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>an <strong>Image Effects Component<\/strong> to \u201cchange the size, bit depth, interpolation and compression settings for the images in your file\u201d<\/li><li>a <strong>PDF Retouch Component<\/strong> to \u201cset how monochrome data is encoded, whether images are interpolated and whether to create PDF\/X\u20113 documents\u201d<\/li><li>a <strong>Color Management Component<\/strong> for colour modifications<\/li><li><strong>Domain Information<\/strong>, which \u201cspecif[ies] where the filter can be used\u201d \u2014 in apps, PDF workflows or the Print dialog<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Note what is on that list and what is not: every size-related lever acts on <strong>images<\/strong>. That single fact explains most of the confusion. A PDF exported from Word or Pages is text, vectors and fonts \u2014 there are no images for the filter to shrink, so it comes back roughly the same size. A scanned PDF is a stack of full-page photographs, so the filter has everything to work on and the softening is immediately visible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"checkboxes\">The three export checkboxes almost nobody notices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Apple\u2019s guide documents a <em>second<\/em> route in the very same Export sheet, separate from the Quartz Filter menu. Most Mac guides never mention it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Checkbox<\/th><th>What Apple says it does<\/th><th>Does it shrink the file?<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Create Linearized PDF<\/strong><\/td><td>\u201cOptimize the PDF for fast loading and viewing in web browsers.\u201d<\/td><td><strong>No.<\/strong> Linearizing reorders the file so a browser can render page 1 before the rest arrives. It is a delivery optimisation, not a compression one.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Optimize images for screen<\/strong><\/td><td>\u201cOptimize images for screen viewing to reduce file size.\u201d<\/td><td><strong>Yes<\/strong> \u2014 this is the size lever, and again it only touches images.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Save images as JPEG<\/strong><\/td><td>\u201cConvert images to JPEG format, which uses image compression.\u201d<\/td><td><strong>Yes<\/strong>, by re-encoding embedded images as JPEG. Lossy, and a second lossy pass over an image that was already JPEG.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Apple\u2019s UK edition of the guide spells the first two \u201cCreate Linearised PDF\u201d and \u201cOptimise images for screen\u201d; the wording is otherwise identical.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two consequences. If you have been ticking <strong>Create Linearized PDF<\/strong> hoping for a smaller file, it was never going to give you one. And <strong>Save images as JPEG<\/strong> is the checkbox most likely to ruin a scan of text: JPEG\u2019s ringing artifacts cluster on high-contrast edges, which is what black type on white paper is made of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"unpredictable\">Why the result is unpredictable<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Apple attaches a note to the whole procedure: \u201cWhen compressed, the PDF may be of lower quality than the original. <strong>The resulting file size and image quality may vary depending on the options you select.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is accurate, because none of the following is exposed to you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>The target resolution.<\/strong> Apple does not publish the DPI or scale factor the stock filter downsamples to. Figures circulate on the web; they are not in Apple\u2019s documentation, and this article will not repeat them as if they were.<\/li><li><strong>The JPEG quality.<\/strong> Same story \u2014 no published value.<\/li><li><strong>A strength control.<\/strong> There is one Reduce File Size entry, not a light\/medium\/heavy set. Your only remaining move is to run it <em>again<\/em> on the output, stacking a second lossy pass on the first.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So when the same command produces a 90% saving on a photo brochure and a 2% saving on a 200-page report, nothing is broken \u2014 you fed one fixed image-processing recipe two documents that had wildly different amounts of image data in them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"colorsync\">Build your own Quartz filter in ColorSync Utility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you want to stay entirely on the Mac, this is the real answer, and it is a documented Apple workflow rather than a hack. <strong>ColorSync Utility<\/strong> (Applications \u25b8 Utilities) is where Quartz filters are authored: click <strong>Filters<\/strong> in the toolbar, click <strong>+<\/strong> in the lower-left corner and name your filter, then click the <strong>+<\/strong> beside its name and choose <strong>Add Image Effects Component<\/strong> to \u201cchange the size, bit depth, interpolation and compression settings for the images in your file.\u201d <strong>Add Domain Information<\/strong> controls where the filter shows up \u2014 apps, PDF workflows or the Print dialog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two details from Apple\u2019s documentation that matter here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Filters can be locked.<\/strong> \u201cIf the filter has [a padlock] next to it, you can\u2019t edit that filter. You can, however, copy a locked filter and edit the copy.\u201d So the fastest route is often to duplicate an existing filter and change its image settings rather than build one from scratch.<\/li><li><strong>You can preview before committing.<\/strong> ColorSync Utility will open a PDF directly, let you choose a filter from the pop-up menu at the bottom of the window, and show its effect page by page \u2014 \u201cthe effects of that filter are reflected in the window, but the file isn\u2019t modified.\u201d Click <strong>Apply<\/strong> only when you\u2019re happy. That is a genuine advantage over Preview, where you find out after you save.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The cost is setup: you are hand-authoring an image-processing recipe on every Mac you use. For a one-off contract that has to be under 10 MB by lunchtime, it\u2019s overkill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"presets\">The alternative: a documented preset ladder<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The other way out is a compressor that publishes its targets, so \u201csmaller\u201d and \u201chow much smaller\u201d stop being a surprise. The preset names below come from a long-standing PDF-distiller convention that Ghostscript\u2019s documentation defines by image resolution, and they are the five levels the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/compress-pdf\">xconvert PDF compressor<\/a> exposes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Preset<\/th><th>Colour\/grey image target<\/th><th>Best for<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Screen (Best)<\/strong><\/td><td>72 DPI<\/td><td>Email, web embeds, on-screen review \u2014 smallest output<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Ebook<\/strong><\/td><td>150 DPI<\/td><td>The balanced choice; scans stay legible when printed<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Default<\/strong><\/td><td>General-purpose<\/td><td>Ghostscript describes it as \u201cuseful across a wide variety of uses, possibly at the expense of a larger output file\u201d<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Prepress<\/strong><\/td><td>300 DPI<\/td><td>Commercial printing, with colour preserved<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Printer<\/strong><\/td><td>300 DPI<\/td><td>Office laser printing<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rows are in the order the <strong>Compression Type<\/strong> control lists them. Note that <strong>Prepress and Printer carry the same 300 DPI image resolution<\/strong> \u2014 the difference between them is colour handling, not sharpness \u2014 and that Ghostscript leaves image downsampling <em>off<\/em> for both, which is why neither shrinks a scan much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That ladder is the thing Preview does not give you. If <strong>Screen<\/strong> goes too far on a scan, move up a rung to <strong>Ebook<\/strong> and re-run the <em>original<\/em> \u2014 not the already-degraded output. And because the targets are stated in DPI you can reason about the result in advance: a 200 DPI scan fed to the 150 DPI Ebook preset loses a little detail; the same scan fed to the 300 DPI Printer preset loses essentially none, and will not shrink much either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"789\" src=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mac-pdf-options.png\" alt=\"Comparison grid: Preview's Reduce File Size exposes no readable settings, no DPI choice and one strength level, while a custom ColorSync Quartz filter and xconvert's five presets both do\" class=\"wp-image-2076\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mac-pdf-options.png 1600w, https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mac-pdf-options-300x148.png 300w, https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mac-pdf-options-1024x505.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mac-pdf-options-768x379.png 768w, https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mac-pdf-options-1536x757.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tool\">Compress a PDF on xconvert<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/step-01-control-48.png\" alt=\"Choose the Ebook preset \u2014 150 DPI keeps scanned text legible while cutting size\" class=\"wp-image-2077\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/step-01-control-48.png 1600w, https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/step-01-control-48-300x234.png 300w, https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/step-01-control-48-1024x800.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/step-01-control-48-768x600.png 768w, https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/step-01-control-48-1536x1200.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Open <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/compress-pdf\">xconvert.com\/compress-pdf<\/a> and click <strong>Upload<\/strong> to add your PDF (from your computer, Google Drive, or Dropbox). Batch is supported, and every file in the batch uses the same preset.<\/li><li>Open <strong>Advanced Options<\/strong> (the gear icon) to reveal the controls.<\/li><li>Under <strong>Compression Type<\/strong>, pick your rung. The control lists them <strong>Screen (Best), Ebook, Default, Prepress, Printer<\/strong> \u2014 Screen for the smallest file, Ebook for the balanced 150 DPI result, Default for general use, and Prepress or Printer (both 300 DPI) when print resolution has to survive.<\/li><li>There is no separate quality slider \u2014 each preset bundles its own image downsampling and re-encoding. If the output is still too big, re-run the <strong>original<\/strong> file one rung stronger (Ebook \u2192 Screen) rather than compressing the compressed copy.<\/li><li>Click <strong>Compress<\/strong>, then download.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your file uploads over an encrypted connection, is processed on our servers, and is deleted automatically a few hours later. No watermark, no sign-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the file still will not fit, the problem is usually page count rather than per-page weight \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/split-pdf\">split the PDF<\/a> and send it in parts. And if you want the full picture of what does and doesn\u2019t shrink, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-a-pdf-without-losing-quality\">compress a PDF without losing quality<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/why-is-my-scanned-pdf-so-big\">why is my scanned PDF so big<\/a> cover the underlying mechanics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"faq\">FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where is Reduce File Size in Preview?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Open the PDF in Preview, choose <strong>File &gt; Export<\/strong> (not File &gt; Save), then open the <strong>Quartz Filter<\/strong> pop-up menu in the export sheet and choose <strong>Reduce File Size<\/strong>. Click <strong>Save<\/strong>. If you keep the same filename, Preview asks whether to replace the original \u2014 pick a new name instead, so you still have the untouched file to try again from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why did Preview\u2019s Reduce File Size make my scan blurry?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because the filter\u2019s size levers act on images, and a scanned page <em>is<\/em> one big image. Apple describes the relevant component as changing \u201cthe size, bit depth, interpolation and compression settings for the images in your file,\u201d and the related export checkbox says \u201cSave images as JPEG.\u201d Downsampling plus JPEG re-encoding is exactly what softens scanned type, and there is no strength setting to dial back. For scans, a 150 DPI target such as the <strong>Ebook<\/strong> preset is usually the lowest that still prints legibly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why did my PDF barely shrink \u2014 or come out bigger?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the PDF is text, vectors and fonts \u2014 anything exported from Word, Pages or a LaTeX build \u2014 there are no images for the filter to act on, so there is almost nothing to remove. If the images are already at or below the filter\u2019s internal target, or already efficiently compressed, re-encoding them cannot help and can add bytes. And if you ticked <strong>Create Linearized PDF<\/strong>, note that Apple describes it as optimising \u201cfor fast loading and viewing in web browsers\u201d \u2014 it is not a compression option at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can I change how hard Preview compresses?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not in Preview. The Quartz Filter menu offers Reduce File Size as a single entry with no parameters, and Apple does not publish the values inside it. To get a control, author your own filter in <strong>ColorSync Utility<\/strong> (Filters \u25b8 <strong>+<\/strong> \u25b8 <strong>Add Image Effects Component<\/strong>), where you set the size, bit depth, interpolation and compression yourself. Apple notes that locked filters can\u2019t be edited directly but can be copied and the copy edited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Does compressing in Preview destroy the searchable text?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. Every size-related component Apple documents operates on the images in the file, not on text runs, so a born-digital PDF keeps its text layer and stays selectable. A scan is a different case: unless OCR was run first, it never had a text layer to lose. Compressing a scan does not remove searchable text \u2014 it just doesn\u2019t create any.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What\u2019s the Mac equivalent of Acrobat\u2019s \u201cReduce File Size\u201d with a target?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There isn\u2019t one built in. Preview gives you a single fixed filter and a warning that results \u201cmay vary.\u201d The closest native equivalent is a hand-built ColorSync filter; the closest zero-setup one is a preset ladder with published DPI targets, like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/compress-pdf\">xconvert PDF compressor<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Last verified 2026-08-31.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/guide\/preview\/prvw1509\/mac\">Apple \u2014 Reduce the size of a PDF in Preview on Mac<\/a> (macOS Tahoe 26 edition) \u2014 the File &gt; Export \u25b8 Quartz Filter \u25b8 Reduce File Size procedure, the three export checkboxes and their descriptions, and Apple\u2019s \u201cresults may vary\u201d quality note.<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/guide\/colorsync-utility\/csync006\/mac\">Apple \u2014 Add or modify Quartz filters in ColorSync Utility on Mac<\/a> \u2014 the filter component types (Image Effects, PDF Retouch, Color Management, Domain Information) and the locked-filter copy-to-edit behaviour.<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/guide\/colorsync-utility\/csyn39f07727\/mac\">Apple \u2014 Modify PDF files with Quartz filters in ColorSync Utility on Mac<\/a> \u2014 previewing a filter\u2019s effect page by page before applying it.<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/guide\/preview\/prvw1510\/mac\">Apple \u2014 Add effects to a PDF in Preview on Mac<\/a> \u2014 confirms Reduce File Size shares the Quartz Filter menu with the colour-effect filters.<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/ghostscript.readthedocs.io\/en\/latest\/VectorDevices.html\">Ghostscript \u2014 Vector devices \/ PDFSETTINGS<\/a> \u2014 the screen \/ ebook \/ printer \/ prepress \/ default preset definitions and the distiller-parameters table giving ColorImageResolution as 72 (default), 72 (screen), 150 (ebook), 300 (printer) and 300 (prepress), with DownsampleColorImages true only for screen and ebook.<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/compress-pdf\">xconvert PDF compressor<\/a> \u2014 the five Compression Type presets available on the tool.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Preview&#8217;s Reduce File Size is one fixed Quartz filter with no published settings. What it really does, and two ways to get control back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2075,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to-guides","category-tools"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Compress PDF on Mac: Why Preview&#039;s Reduce File Size Ruins It<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Preview&#039;s Reduce File Size is one fixed Quartz filter with no published settings. What it really does, and two ways to get control back.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Compress PDF on Mac: Why Preview&#039;s Reduce File Size Ruins It\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Preview&#039;s Reduce File Size is one fixed Quartz filter with no published settings. What it really does, and two ways to get control back.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"XConvert Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/xconvertcom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-11-01T20:13:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/featured-51.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"840\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Stephanie Taylor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@xconvert_com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@xconvert_com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Stephanie Taylor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Stephanie Taylor\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ae9300506c0e9e85f1a6ece4d762980d\"},\"headline\":\"Compress PDF on Mac: Why Preview&#8217;s Reduce File Size Ruins It\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-01T20:13:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz\"},\"wordCount\":2290,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/featured-51.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"How To Guides\",\"Tools\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz\",\"name\":\"Compress PDF on Mac: Why Preview's Reduce File Size Ruins It\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/featured-51.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-01T20:13:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ae9300506c0e9e85f1a6ece4d762980d\"},\"description\":\"Preview's Reduce File Size is one fixed Quartz filter with no published settings. What it really does, and two ways to get control back.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/featured-51.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/featured-51.png\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":840,\"caption\":\"The xconvert PDF compressor at \\\/compress-pdf with the Upload button highlighted \u2014 add a PDF to compress it with a documented preset instead of Preview's fixed filter\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Compress PDF on Mac: Why Preview&#8217;s Reduce File Size Ruins It\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"XConvert Blog\",\"description\":\"Blog for XConvert file converter\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ae9300506c0e9e85f1a6ece4d762980d\",\"name\":\"Stephanie Taylor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/af9a54599087d3f3dd2d0ea950291c9e18fcc503af09b136b37fa52c418fe467?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/af9a54599087d3f3dd2d0ea950291c9e18fcc503af09b136b37fa52c418fe467?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/af9a54599087d3f3dd2d0ea950291c9e18fcc503af09b136b37fa52c418fe467?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Stephanie Taylor\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/stephanie\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Compress PDF on Mac: Why Preview's Reduce File Size Ruins It","description":"Preview's Reduce File Size is one fixed Quartz filter with no published settings. What it really does, and two ways to get control back.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Compress PDF on Mac: Why Preview's Reduce File Size Ruins It","og_description":"Preview's Reduce File Size is one fixed Quartz filter with no published settings. What it really does, and two ways to get control back.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz","og_site_name":"XConvert Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/xconvertcom","article_published_time":"2026-11-01T20:13:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":840,"url":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/featured-51.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Stephanie Taylor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@xconvert_com","twitter_site":"@xconvert_com","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Stephanie Taylor","Est. reading time":"11 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz"},"author":{"name":"Stephanie Taylor","@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ae9300506c0e9e85f1a6ece4d762980d"},"headline":"Compress PDF on Mac: Why Preview&#8217;s Reduce File Size Ruins It","datePublished":"2026-11-01T20:13:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz"},"wordCount":2290,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/featured-51.png","articleSection":["How To Guides","Tools"],"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz","url":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz","name":"Compress PDF on Mac: Why Preview's Reduce File Size Ruins It","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/featured-51.png","datePublished":"2026-11-01T20:13:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ae9300506c0e9e85f1a6ece4d762980d"},"description":"Preview's Reduce File Size is one fixed Quartz filter with no published settings. What it really does, and two ways to get control back.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-CA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/featured-51.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/featured-51.png","width":1600,"height":840,"caption":"The xconvert PDF compressor at \/compress-pdf with the Upload button highlighted \u2014 add a PDF to compress it with a documented preset instead of Preview's fixed filter"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-pdf-on-mac-preview-quartz#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Compress PDF on Mac: Why Preview&#8217;s Reduce File Size Ruins It"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/","name":"XConvert Blog","description":"Blog for XConvert file converter","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ae9300506c0e9e85f1a6ece4d762980d","name":"Stephanie Taylor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/af9a54599087d3f3dd2d0ea950291c9e18fcc503af09b136b37fa52c418fe467?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/af9a54599087d3f3dd2d0ea950291c9e18fcc503af09b136b37fa52c418fe467?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/af9a54599087d3f3dd2d0ea950291c9e18fcc503af09b136b37fa52c418fe467?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Stephanie Taylor"},"url":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/author\/stephanie"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2078"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2078\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2079,"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2078\/revisions\/2079"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}