Use this command to install CK Image & PDF Reducer:
winget install --id=epatels.CKImagePDFReducer -e
CK Image & PDF Reducer compresses images and PDFs right on your PC. Drag a file in, pick how you want it shrunk, and export — nothing is sent anywhere.
- Resize by percentage — scale both dimensions down together
- Fix Width / Fix Height — set one dimension, the other auto-scales to preserve aspect ratio
- Compress by Quality — reduce JPEG quality to hit a smaller file size
- Target File Size — tell it a size limit (e.g. "under 200 KB") and it searches for the best quality/resolution that fits
- PDF compression — shrinks PDFs by recompressing embedded images (via Ghostscript, installed separately on first use)
- Batch queue — load and process multiple files in one pass
- Drag & drop — drop files straight onto the window
- Windows right-click menu — optional "Reduce with CK Image & PDF Reducer" entry in Explorer's context menu
- HEIC support — reads iPhone-style HEIC images
No installer for your platform yet — the app currently ships for Windows only.
Why people trust it
Your files never leave your machine. Compression happens locally — there's no upload step to skip, because there's no server to upload to.
No account, no email, no subscription. Download it, run it, use it.
No ads, ever. No banners, no sponsored placements, nothing tracking you across the web to sell you something.
Nothing hidden in the install. Ghostscript, the only external program the app relies on for PDF compression, is installed separately, with your consent, directly from its official source — never bundled or silently dropped in.
Source available on request. The compiled installer is what ships in Releases, but the full source is yours for the asking — see Source code below.
Actively maintained. Versioned releases, a public issue tracker, and a direct line to the developer through the app itself.
What it does
CK Image & PDF Reducer compresses images and PDFs right on your PC. Drag a file in, pick how you want it shrunk, and export — nothing is sent anywhere.
Set one dimension, the other auto-scales to preserve aspect ratio
Compress by Quality
Reduce JPEG quality to hit a smaller file size
Target File Size
Tell it a size limit (e.g. "under 200 KB") and it searches for the best quality/resolution that fits
PDF Compression
Shrinks PDFs by recompressing embedded images, text stays vector (via Ghostscript, installed separately on first use)
PDF Target File Size
Same idea as image target-size mode, capped by a visual-quality safety floor
Beyond the core modes:
Convert formats — output as JPEG, PNG, WebP, BMP, or TIFF regardless of the source format (or just keep it the same)
Batch queue — load and process multiple files in one pass
Drag & drop — drop files straight onto the window
Windows right-click menu — optional "Reduce with CK Image & PDF Reducer" entry in Explorer's context menu
HEIC support — reads iPhone-style HEIC images
Installing
Option A: Winget (recommended)
winget install epatels.CKImagePDFReducer
Option B: curl
Running the installer with no arguments opens the interactive setup wizard — the terminal isn't stuck, it's just waiting for you to click through that window (Next → Install → Finish). For a real one-command install, unblock the download and pass the silent switches:
> Notes
> - Each block above is a single line — paste it as one and press Enter once. If you paste a multi-line version instead, most terminals won't auto-run the last line; press Enter yourself to execute it. That's normal terminal behavior, not a stuck install.
> - In PowerShell, curl is an alias for Invoke-WebRequest and doesn't accept -L/-o the same way, so use curl.exe explicitly to run the real curl that ships with Windows 10/11. PowerShell also requires the .\ prefix to run an exe from the current directory.
> - Unblock-File clears the "downloaded from the internet" flag Windows attaches to curl'd files, which can otherwise trigger a SmartScreen prompt that silently blocks the install if its window doesn't have focus.
> - Want to see progress instead of a fully silent install? Drop /VERYSILENT down to /SILENT — it shows a progress bar but still skips all the click-through prompts.
> - Omit the switches entirely to get the normal interactive wizard.
Option C: Manual download
Download CKImagePDFReducerSetup.exe from Releases.
Run it — no admin rights needed, it installs per-user.
On first PDF compression, it'll walk you through installing Ghostscript, a free, separate program the app calls out to. Ghostscript itself is never bundled or copied into this app.
FAQ
Does this upload my files anywhere?
No. Every compression runs locally on your machine. There's no server component and no network step in the compression path itself.
Why does it need Ghostscript for PDFs?
Ghostscript handles the actual PDF recompression work. It's a well-established, free, open project — the app just calls it as an external tool, the same way it would call any other program already on your PC, rather than reimplementing that logic itself.
Is it really free?
Yes — no trial, no paywalled features, no subscription.
What if I hit a bug or want a feature?
Open an issue on this repo, or use Help → Contact Developer inside the app — see Support.
Source code
This repo ships the compiled installer only — source isn't published here. If you'd like a copy, open a source request issue, or use Help → Request Source Code inside the app, and it'll be sent over at no charge.
Support
Questions, bugs, or feature requests — open an issue on this repo, or use Help → Contact Developer inside the app.
Built for people who just want a smaller file, not another account to manage.