Linearize PDF (Fast Web View)

How to do it

1. 1
   Add your file

   Choose it or drop it here. It stays on your device.

2. 2
   Pick pages and options

   Select the pages you want and adjust the settings.

3. 3
   Convert and download

   Press convert, check the result and download it. Nothing is sent to a server.

About this tool

A linearized PDF puts the information for the first page at the start of the file, so a web browser can show page one while the rest is still downloading. It is the Fast Web View setting that many publishing tools offer, available here without installing anything.

When it helps

For large PDFs that you host on a site or send by link, linearizing makes the first page appear sooner. The content is not changed and the file size stays about the same. It makes no difference for a file that is already on your computer.

Engine

The work is done by qpdf running inside your browser, so the file is not uploaded.

Worked example

A 40 MB catalogue is linearized so visitors see the cover while the other pages continue to load.

Tips for best results

Work on a copy of your file and keep the original until you have checked the result. Open the output before you send it to a portal, an employer or an office, and look at every page. If a size limit applies, check how the receiving site measures it, because some count a kilobyte as 1000 bytes and others as 1024. All processing happens inside your browser tab on your own device, so large files depend on your device memory and may take a little longer on a phone.