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LukaGSD
Participant
May 7, 2025
Answered

Compression Fails

  • May 7, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 493 views

I am attempting to compress a file.  I have made many edits in this file over the years, mainly changing highlight colors.  As more changes accumulate, performance slows, for example selecting text takes a few seconds.  In the past, I have resolved the performance issue by compressing the file about once per year.  I purchased a yearly subscription for the sole purpose of compressing this one file when necessary.

 

My most recent attempts to compress this file result in the error Failure Compressing PDF after the compression attempt has been running for maybe a minute.  I have tried all three options for the compression size.  

 

The file is about ten pages long, all text. The file is stored in the Adobe cloud.

 

Anything else I can try before I give up and cancel my subscription?

Correct answer Amal.

Hi there

 

Hope you are doing well and thanks for reaching.

 

Is this an issue with a particular PDF file or with all the PDFs? Please try with a different PDF file and check.

 

Given that your PDF is stored in the Adobe cloud and has a long history of edits (especially highlight changes), it’s possible that the file has accumulated some complexity or minor corruption over time, which may be causing the compression to fail.

 

Try downloading the PDF to your device, opening the local copy, and try compressing it directly. If successful, upload the compressed version back to the cloud.

 

You can also use “Print to PDF” (option in Acrobat desktop app) to create a clean copy. This helps flatten annotations and clear any hidden metadata:

1. Open the PDF and go to Print > Adobe PDF (choose “Adobe PDF” as the printer).

2. This will generate a new “flattened” version of the file.

3. Try compressing this new version.

Note: This method may remove editable annotations, so double-check the new file to ensure everything looks good.

 

Let us know how it goes.

 

1 reply

Amal.
Community Manager
Amal.Community ManagerCorrect answer
Community Manager
May 8, 2025

Hi there

 

Hope you are doing well and thanks for reaching.

 

Is this an issue with a particular PDF file or with all the PDFs? Please try with a different PDF file and check.

 

Given that your PDF is stored in the Adobe cloud and has a long history of edits (especially highlight changes), it’s possible that the file has accumulated some complexity or minor corruption over time, which may be causing the compression to fail.

 

Try downloading the PDF to your device, opening the local copy, and try compressing it directly. If successful, upload the compressed version back to the cloud.

 

You can also use “Print to PDF” (option in Acrobat desktop app) to create a clean copy. This helps flatten annotations and clear any hidden metadata:

1. Open the PDF and go to Print > Adobe PDF (choose “Adobe PDF” as the printer).

2. This will generate a new “flattened” version of the file.

3. Try compressing this new version.

Note: This method may remove editable annotations, so double-check the new file to ensure everything looks good.

 

Let us know how it goes.

 

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