Why Can't I Select Text in My Compressed PDF?

Compress PDF works by rendering each page onto a canvas and re-encoding it as a JPEG image, then rebuilding the PDF from those images. That's what makes the file smaller — but it also means every page becomes a picture of your original content rather than the original text and fonts. Once a page is compressed this way, its text can no longer be selected, searched, or copied, even though it still looks correct. If you need a version of the file that keeps its text selectable, keep your original PDF alongside the compressed copy — compression isn't reversible, so the source file is the only place the text remains intact.