Compress PDFs and convert to different file types

Convert PDFs to common file types, like Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, and compress PDF documents to reduce file size.

Published April 13, 2026

00:01

Introduction

Adobe Acrobat's Convert feature offers a convenient way to export PDFs to other formats and compress larger documents to reduce file sizes.

Hi everyone!

My name is Angelo Montilla from www.montilladesign.com.

I'm an Adobe Certified Trainer, Designer, and YouTube Content Creator.

Let's dive in and learn more about exporting and compressing in Adobe Acrobat.

00:25

Exporting a PDF to Microsoft Word

To export a PDF to another file format, click on the Convert tab in the top-left menu bar.

Here you'll see multiple file formats that are compatible.

In this example, I'll choose Microsoft Word from the available options.

And from the dropdown menu choose DOCX.

And now we can convert the PDF to a DOCX.

Go ahead and click Convert to DOCX.

Choose the folder where you'd like to save this and then simply click Save.

That takes just a few moments to process and export, and once it does, it will automatically open in Microsoft Word.

And you can see that the page layout is preserved, and the text is live and editable.

01:07

Exporting a PDF to Adobe Express

Next, let me show you how to export the same document to Adobe Express.

I'm back in Acrobat and to export a PDF directly to Adobe Express, once again, click on the Convert tab in the top left-hand corner.

Click on Export to Adobe Express.

This will automatically upload and open the PDF in a new web browser tab.

You can see that the PDF has been uploaded to Adobe Express, and all the pages from the PDF are now viewable and editable on the web.

You'll still be able to edit the text in the document and enhance it with other easy-to-use tools.

01:47

Accessing the compress PDF tool

Let's jump back to Acrobat and look at how to compress a PDF.

In Adobe Acrobat, there are two ways of accessing the Compress a PDF Tool.

First, click on All tools and you'll see the option here, Compress a PDF.

Alternatively, you can simply click on the Convert tab, once again, located in the upper left-hand corner, and you'll see it as an option down below, Compress a PDF.

Now, once you're in the Compress a PDF Tool, you have the option to compress a single file or multiple files together.

By clicking Multiple files, it allows you to add files from your computer or documents that you have open in Acrobat.

I'll click on Cancel because in this example, I'll be compressing the single file currently open.

Let me show you how.

02:38

Optimizing and reducing PDF file size

Click on the Advanced Optimization, which will launch the PDF Optimizer dialog.

To use the default compression settings, choose Standard from the Settings up above.

Adjusting any of the settings in the PDF Optimizer automatically switches the Settings from Standard to Custom.

To give you an example, while in the Images option, Color Images over 225 ppi will be downsampled to 150 ppi.

And the Quality here I have set to Medium.

So, let's say I change the downsampled version of the Color Images to 100 ppi, you can see that the PDF Optimizer setting changes from Standard to Custom.

You also have the option to save that as a preset.

So, I could call this Angelo Optimized and click OK to save it.

And you can see that it's now an option in the Settings dropdown menu.

If I didn't want to use that anymore, I could simply select it and delete it from my Settings.

There are other compression settings on the left-side menu that will further reduce the size of the PDF.

From the Make compatible with dropdown, you can choose Retain existing or one of the other versions of Adobe Acrobat, you can see them listed here.

Once you have all the settings in the PDF Optimizer to your liking, go ahead and click OK and you can now save your optimized version of the PDF.

I do recommend renaming it compressed, this way you're not confusing the original with the compressed version.

Once you've done that, go ahead and click Save.

Let's have a look at the original document size compared to the optimized version we just compressed in Adobe Acrobat.

You can see the original was 4.6 MB, and the compressed optimized version is now 715 KB.

You now have a real understanding of how to export and compress PDF documents with Adobe Acrobat.

Give these techniques a try with your own projects and see just how easy it is to manage your PDF documents.

Again, my name is Angelo Montilla, and I'll see you in the next video.

Note: Stock assets provided are for practice purposes only. See terms.

What you'll learn

Convert and compress

Adobe Acrobat’s convert feature offers a convenient way to convert and export PDFs to other formats such as Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, and Excel, as well as to Adobe Express. If you have a larger file, there are several options to compress the document and save a version with a much smaller file size.

Instruction and Design by: Angelo Montilla
Adobe Stock Contributors: HN Works; ZUBI CREATIONS
AMA STUDIO: Shipons Creative; Shaadjutt36; Suplim; Suwannee

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