This work investigates the optical absorption spectrum of the NaMnF 4 -layered perovskite and its variation with pressure. The spectrum basically consists of three broadbands located at 1.916, 2.263, and 2.817 eV, which correspond to the crystal-field ͑CF͒ transitions 5 B 1g → 5 ⌫ i (⌫ i ϭA 1g , B 2g , and E g ) with the Jahn-Teller-͑JT-͒ distorted MnF 6 3Ϫ complex (Mn 3ϩ d 4 configuration͒. In addition, there are two spin-flip 5 B 1g → 3 B 1g peaks at 2.397 and 2.890 eV, which are activated by the exchange mechanism. Their variation with pressure reveals that the JT energy does not change significantly with pressure: ץE JT ץ/ Pϭ0.8 meV/GPa. Furthermore, the variation of the JT tetragonal splitting of the parent octahedral e g and t 2g , termed ⌬ e and ⌬ t , respectively, clearly indicate that ⌬ץ e ץ/ PӶ⌬ץ t ץ/ P, although ⌬ e Ϸ4⌬ t . The CF energies and their pressure shift are explained in terms of local structural changes within the MnF 6 3Ϫ complex induced by pressure. The structural correlation analysis reveals that the reduction of the MnF 6 3Ϫ JT distortion is smaller than the expected one on the basis of the crystal volume reduction, thus indicating tilt phenomena. This interpretation is supported by the decrease of in-layer Mn-F-Mn superexchange, such as is derived from the optical spectra. We demonstrate that the equatorial and axial distances decrease from 1.839 to 1.808 Å and from 2.167 to 2.107 Å, respectively, in the 0-10 GPa range.