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Optimize a PDF for fast web view

Linearize a PDF so page one shows while the rest downloads. The new copy is checked before you get it, and your file stays on your device.

Drop a PDF, or click to choose

It is optimized on your device as soon as you choose it.

Need to write on the pages too? The PDF editor adds text, signatures and highlights.

How to optimize a PDF for fast web view

  1. Drop your PDF onto the box, or click Choose file. It is optimized on your device straight away.

  2. The panel says whether your file already had fast web view and confirms the new copy passed the check.

  3. Drag the divider across the preview. The pages should look exactly the same; only the file's layout changes.

  4. Select Download PDF and put the new copy on your website or in your app instead of the original.

What fast web view (linearization) does

An ordinary PDF keeps its table of contents for the reader program at the very end of the file. A browser opening it from a website has to wait for the last byte before it knows where page one is. A linearized PDF is rewritten so that everything page one needs, plus a map of the rest, sits at the front. The viewer can draw the first page while the rest is still arriving, and jump to a later page by fetching just that part.

Adobe Acrobat calls this “Fast Web View”; the PDF standard calls it linearization. They are the same thing.

When it helps, and when it does not

  • It helps

    Large PDFs people open from a link: catalogues, manuals, reports, menus. The first page appears sooner, especially on a slow mobile connection, when the website serves the file in parts (most do).

  • It does not

    Make the file smaller, or speed up a PDF opened from your own disk or sent by email. To make the file smaller, use Compress PDF first, then optimize the compressed copy for fast web view.

Checked, and private

After the new copy is written, it is read back and checked: it must be correctly linearized and have every page of the original, or you get an error instead of a file. The whole job runs in this browser tab, so your PDF is never uploaded or stored anywhere.

Related: Compress PDF, Repair PDF, Merge PDF.

Common questions

What does linearize PDF mean?
It means rewriting the PDF so the first page and a map of the file come first. A browser can then show page one before the whole file has downloaded. Acrobat calls it Fast Web View.
Does it change how my PDF looks?
No. Pages, text, images, links and bookmarks are the same. Only the order of the data inside the file changes, which the preview lets you confirm on page one.
Will the file get smaller?
Not by much, and it can grow slightly, because the map is added. To make it smaller, compress it first and then optimize the compressed copy.
How do I know it worked?
The new copy is checked after it is written, and the panel shows the result. You can also open it in Acrobat and look for Fast Web View: Yes under Document Properties.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. It is optimized inside your browser and never leaves your device.
Can I optimize a password-protected PDF?
Yes, if you know its password. Enter it when asked; it is checked on your device. The new copy has no password, so add one again with Protect PDF if you need it.
My PDF will not open in this tool. What now?
It may be damaged. Try Repair PDF first, then optimize the repaired copy.