Getting Started with PulpPDF

Download & Install

1. Go to pulppdf.app/download and grab the installer for your platform.
2. macOS: Open the .dmg, drag PulpPDF to Applications.
3. Windows: Run the .exe installer.

Launch PulpPDF. No account needed. You're ready to compress.

Windows SmartScreen warning

When you first run PulpPDF on Windows, you may see a SmartScreen warning saying the app is "not commonly downloaded." This is normal for new software — it does not mean the app is unsafe.

PulpPDF is digitally signed, but SmartScreen builds trust based on download volume over time. To proceed:

1. Click "More info"
2. Click "Run anyway"

This warning will disappear as more users download and install PulpPDF. Microsoft has confirmed this is expected behavior for new applications building reputation.

Compress Your First PDF

1. Drop a PDF onto the app window, or click the drop zone to browse.
2. PulpPDF shows: page count, image count, file size, and OCR status.
3. Pick a preset — Balanced is the default.
4. Click "Compress PDF" — choose where to save.
5. See the result: original size → compressed size with percentage saved.

Presets at a Glance

Preset	Best for
None	OCR only — no compression
High Quality	Print-ready documents
Balanced	General purpose (default)
Maximum	Email attachments, sharing
Ultra	Smallest possible size

See Compression Presets for details.

OCR

Toggle OCR to add searchable text to scanned PDFs. PulpPDF uses native OS text recognition (macOS Vision / Windows OCR). Pages with existing text are skipped automatically.

Bulk Mode

Drop multiple PDFs to enter bulk mode. Pick a preset, choose an output folder, compress all at once.