How to compress multiple PDFs at once on Mac
Select all the PDFs in Finder, right-click, and choose FileMate › Compress PDFs. FileMate compresses each one on its own and saves a smaller copy next to every original, for example Invoice 03 compressed.pdf. If one PDF can’t be compressed, the others still are. Preview can only reduce one PDF at a time, through File › Export.
All of it runs on your Mac. Nothing is uploaded, however many files you select.
Compress a batch of PDFs with FileMate
- Open the folder in Finder and select the PDFs. Command-A selects everything in the folder; Command-click adds single files.
- Right-click any selected file and choose FileMate › Compress PDFs.
- FileMate works through them in a small window at the top right, with the current file, the time left and Cancel.
- Each result is saved next to its original. Files that couldn’t get meaningfully smaller are listed with the reason.
The menu only shows Compress PDFs when every selected file is a PDF. To compress images and PDFs from one folder, select each kind separately.
What happens with each file
- Each PDF is handled on its own. A signed contract in the middle of a batch is left unchanged with a note, and the rest carry on.
- Only real savings are kept. A copy is saved only if it is at least 2% smaller than the original. Otherwise FileMate reports “Already well compressed” for that file.
- The originals are never changed. You can compare the two, then delete whichever you don’t need.
- Stronger levels are offered for the whole batch. If some files could get smaller, the result asks “Want smaller files?” and runs the next level only when you choose it.
Batch compression with built-in macOS tools
macOS doesn’t have a batch PDF compressor in Finder. The options are:
- Preview, one by one. Open each PDF, choose File › Export, pick the Reduce File Size Quartz filter, and save. Fine for three files, slow for thirty.
- Automator or Shortcuts. You can build a workflow that applies the Quartz filter to each file. It has the same single, fixed setting as Preview, and building and maintaining it takes time.
FileMate puts the batch action in Finder’s right-click menu, with three levels and a report for every file.
One PDF instead of many?
If the files belong together, such as monthly statements or scanned pages, you can combine them first with FileMate › Merge into PDF… and then compress the single PDF. See how to merge PDFs on Mac.
Get FileMate
Select the PDFs, right-click, Compress PDFs. Every file gets its own smaller copy, the originals stay as they were, and nothing leaves your Mac.
Normal price €9.99, now €4.99 incl. VAT
One payment, no subscription. macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon or Intel.