Measured data, 2026-06-12
File Compression Benchmark 2026: What Actually Shrinks
We ran real test files through our own production compressors and published every byte. The headlines: a scan-style PDF shrank 97% on the Screen preset, an image-heavy PowerPoint deck shrank 96% on High, and a JPEG photo shrank 76% at quality 80, with full methodology and the caveats other benchmarks leave out.
Key findings
- Office files compress best: the PowerPoint and Word test files both shrank 88% at the recommended Medium level (88% for Word), embedded images are almost always the bulk of the file.
- PDF savings are preset-dependent: 97% on Screen, 92% on eBook, and ~0% on Printer, the Printer preset preserves 300dpi print quality by design.
- Single images: a 1.82 MB JPEG photo dropped 76% at quality 80 with an optimized JPEG encoder; a real browser-screenshot PNG dropped 59% with palette quantization.
- Video: 45% smaller at the same resolution (CRF 24) and 92% when downscaled to 720p, synthetic footage, so treat both as an upper bound.
- You never get back a larger file: when compression cannot beat the original, our tools return your original file unchanged.
PowerPoint (image-heavy deck, 5.43 MB)
| Level | Before | After | Saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (recommended) | 5.43 MB | 654 KB | 88% |
| High | 5.43 MB | 194 KB | 96% |
Try it: PowerPoint Compressor
Word (image-heavy report, 5.41 MB)
| Level | Before | After | Saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium (recommended) | 5.41 MB | 635 KB | 88% |
| High | 5.41 MB | 175 KB | 97% |
Try it: Word Compressor
PDF (4-page photo/scan-style A4 @300dpi, 4.37 MB)
| Level | Before | After | Saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum (Screen) | 4.37 MB | 113 KB | 97% |
| High (eBook) | 4.37 MB | 347 KB | 92% |
| Medium (Printer) | 4.37 MB | 4.35 MB | 0% |
Try it: PDF Compressor
JPEG photo (2800×1800, 1.82 MB)
| Level | Before | After | Saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality 80 (optimized JPEG) | 1.82 MB | 444 KB | 76% |
Try it: Image Compressor
PNG screenshot (real browser capture, 354 KB)
| Level | Before | After | Saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palette quality 80 | 354 KB | 146 KB | 59% |
Try it: PNG Compressor
Video 1080p (20s synthetic test pattern, 24.1 MB)
| Level | Before | After | Saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Same resolution, CRF 24 | 24.13 MB | 13.30 MB | 45% |
| 720p, CRF 28 | 24.13 MB | 1.96 MB | 92% |
Try it: Video Compressor
Methodology
Each file compressed on convertintomp4.com production infrastructure. Office files: OOXML image re-encode (optimized JPEG / palette PNG) + max-deflate repack. PDF: screen, ebook and printer distiller presets. Images: optimized JPEG q80 / palette PNG q80. Video: H.264.
Caveats, read these before quoting the numbers
- Office and PDF samples are synthetic but representative: full-resolution photos and a real browser screenshot embedded the way office suites actually store them.
- Printer-preset PDF shows ~0% by design — it preserves 300dpi print quality; choose it when the file will be printed.
- Video figures use a synthetic 1080p test pattern, which compresses better than real footage; treat them as an upper bound.
- Already-optimized files shrink less; our tools return your ORIGINAL file whenever compression cannot beat it.
Reproduce it
Every figure on this page can be reproduced with open-source tools. PDFs were compressed with a standard PDF distiller using its screen, ebook and printer presets. Images were re-encoded with an optimized JPEG encoder at quality 80, and as palette PNG at quality 80 for screenshots. Office files (.pptx / .docx) had the images inside their OOXML containers re-encoded the same way, then the archive was repacked at maximum deflate. Video was encoded to H.264 at CRF 24 (same resolution) and at CRF 28 with a 720p downscale. Byte counts are raw file sizes from the production host, no rounding tricks. Benchmarked on 2026-06-12.