Compress PDF
Reduce PDF size for email, upload portals and shared drives without retyping or rescanning anything. Choose how hard to compress, or type the exact limit a form gives you, and download a smaller copy of the same document.
Compress PDF
or drop PDF files here ·
Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes
Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.
Images above this DPI are downsampled. 150 is sharp on screen and fine for office printing; 72 is screen-only.
JPEG quality for re-compressed images. 70 keeps scanned text readable; below 40 artefacts appear around letters.
When aiming for a target size, image quality never drops below this; resolution is reduced instead.
How to use this tool
- 1
Add your PDFs
Drop up to 20 PDF files onto the upload area, each up to 95 MB. Scans, exported reports and downloaded statements all work.
- 2
Pick how to compress
Leave Compress by on Recommended for everyday use, choose Target size when a portal names a limit in KB or MB, or open Advanced settings for grayscale and clean-up options.
- 3
Compress and download
Press Compress. Each result shows how much smaller it is; download files one by one or all of them as a ZIP.
How do I reduce the size of a PDF?
Upload it, keep Compress by on Recommended and press Compress. Images inside the PDF are downsampled and recompressed, unused font data and metadata are removed, and text stays sharp. For a portal limit, choose Target size and type the number in KB or MB.
What makes a PDF large, and what compression removes
A PDF is a container. Text is stored as characters plus the fonts needed to draw them, line art as vector instructions, and photos or scans as embedded images. The images are nearly always the heavy part: a phone scan of one A4 page in color can easily weigh more than a 200-page text report, because every page is a full-resolution photograph.
That is why a PDF compressor works mainly on images. It reduces their resolution to a sensible DPI, re-encodes them as JPEG at a chosen quality, and leaves text and vectors as they are. On top of that it removes data a reader never sees: duplicate objects, the unused characters of embedded fonts, thumbnails, edit history and XMP metadata. Nothing is retyped and the page layout does not move.
The practical consequence is that compression results depend on what is inside the file. A scanned contract can shrink to a fraction of its size, while a PDF exported from a word processor may only lose a little. If you need a step-by-step look at the trade-offs, read how to compress a PDF without losing quality.
Recommended, Extreme, Target size or Custom: which mode to use
| Mode | What it does | Pick it when |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended (default) | Downsamples oversized images and recompresses them; text and vectors untouched | You want a smaller file and do not have a fixed limit |
| Extreme | Drops images to screen resolution for the smallest result | The file is only read on screens and size matters more than print quality |
| Target size | Compresses until the PDF is at or just under your number in KB or MB | A portal, exam form or email system names a maximum size |
| Custom | You set **Image resolution** (36–600 DPI, 150 by default) and **Image quality** (1–100, 70 by default) | You know the DPI and JPEG quality you want, for example 200 DPI for print |
Clean-up options that shrink a PDF without touching images
- Convert to grayscale
- Removes color from every page and image. Color scans of black text often lose about half their size, and nothing is lost if the original was printed in black.
- Remove metadata
- On by default. Deletes author, producer software, edit history and XMP packets, which a recipient does not need and which can reveal more than you intend.
- Subset fonts
- On by default. Keeps only the characters the document actually uses from each embedded font, so text renders identically from a smaller file.
- Flatten form fields
- Off by default. Turns filled-in fields into plain page content, which saves the field objects and stops answers from being edited.
- Fast web view
- Off by default. Linearizes the file, a layout defined since PDF 1.2, so a browser can show page 1 before the rest has downloaded. It does not make the file smaller.
Compress PDF in KB or MB for a portal limit
Forms and ID uploads
Government, exam and university portals often cap each document in the low hundreds of kilobytes.
- One to three pages
- Grayscale where color is not required
- Start from compress PDF to 200 KB or compress PDF to 100 KB
Applications and HR systems
Job portals and benefit applications usually accept a few hundred kilobytes to one megabyte per file.
- Multi-page resumes and letters
- Color logos and photos stay recognizable
- Start from compress PDF to 1 MB
Email and long reports
Gmail caps attachments at 25 MB in total, and many corporate mail servers set lower limits per message.
- Recommended mode is usually enough
- Keep Custom at 150 DPI for print
- Split very long files into parts
When a compressed PDF looks wrong, and how to fix it
Small print is blurry after Target size compression
The limit forced resolution down. Turn on Convert to grayscale, remove pages the form does not ask for, or raise the target if the portal allows it.
Blocky squares around letters
JPEG quality fell too low. Raise Lowest image quality so the tool reduces resolution instead, which keeps edges cleaner at the same size.
The file is larger than before
The original was already optimized, often by a scanner that saved one-bit black and white images. Keep the original; it is the smaller version.
Typed form answers disappeared in another viewer
The viewer ignores form field appearances. Compress again with Flatten form fields on so the answers become part of the page.
A digital signature shows as invalid
Any rewrite breaks signature validation. Compress the unsigned document, then sign the compressed copy.
Free PDF compressor limits
- PDFs per batch
- 20
- Per file
- 95 MB
- Then files are deleted
- 30 min
- Unlock first with the password
- Encrypted
Password-protected PDFs cannot be recompressed until the encryption is removed with a password you know; use unlock PDF first and add protection again afterwards if you still need it. Every uploaded and compressed file is deleted from the servers 30 minutes after processing, as described on how it works.
Compress PDF questions
Can I compress a PDF without losing quality?
Mostly, yes. Recommended leaves text, vector drawings and fonts untouched and recompresses only oversized images, which is where most of the bytes are. A PDF that is mainly typed text has little to remove, so it shrinks less but also loses nothing you can see.
Why did my PDF barely get smaller?
It was probably already efficient: text-only exports from Word or Google Docs contain few images and subset fonts. Switch Compress by to Extreme, or use Target size with a lower number, if the file still has to shrink. Splitting off pages you do not need also helps.
What is the difference between compressing and resizing a PDF?
People say resize PDF file when they mean fewer kilobytes, which is what this tool does. Changing the paper size, for example from Letter to A4, is a different job handled by Resize PDF.
How do I compress a PDF to an exact size in KB?
Set Compress by to Target size, type the number into Target size and pick KB or MB. The tool lowers image quality step by step, never below Lowest image quality, and then reduces resolution until the file is at or just under your number.
Can I merge and compress PDFs in one go?
Combine the documents first with merge PDF, then compress the merged file. Doing it in that order means the size target applies to the single document the portal receives, not to each part.
Is compressing a PDF safe for signed or official documents?
Compression rewrites the file, so a cryptographic digital signature will no longer validate afterwards, even though the page looks identical. Compress before signing, or send a signed file uncompressed when the recipient checks signatures.
Does compressing a scanned PDF make the text searchable?
No. Compression changes how the page images are stored, not what they contain. A scan without a text layer stays a picture of text; making it searchable requires text recognition, which is a separate step.
All Compress PDF tools
Pick the exact target you were asked for. Every page below is the same tool with different defaults.
- Compress PDF to 1000 KBSome forms write the limit as 1000 KB, not 1 MB. See the three byte counts behind that number and compress your PDF to pass the strictest one.
- Compress PDF to 100 KBGet a PDF below 100 KB for government, scholarship and bank KYC uploads. The tool lowers image quality, then resolution, until the file fits.
- Compress PDF to 150 KBReduce a PDF to 150 KB for ID proofs, two-sided certificates and mark sheets. Keeps text sharp at about 150 DPI; handles locked e-Aadhaar copies too.
- Compress PDF to 1 MBGet a PDF below 1 MB for HR systems, email gateways and court e-filing. Text stays sharp, hidden data is removed, and up to 20 PDFs go in one batch.
- Compress PDF to 200 KBShrink a PDF to under 200 KB for university applications, admission forms and scanned ID cards. Small print stays legible; up to 20 files at once, free.
- Compress PDF to 20 KBSqueeze a one-page PDF below 20 KB for strict form fields: declarations, signature sheets and single certificates. Grayscale and low DPI explained.
- Compress PDF to 250 KBResize a PDF to 250 KB without shrinking the pages: salary slips, experience letters and 3–5 page scans fit with readable text. Up to 20 files per batch.
- Compress PDF to 2 MBFit a PDF into 2 MB for LinkedIn and job-board resumes, email and portals. Designed portfolios keep their images sharp; compress up to 20 files free.
- Compress PDF to 300 KBBring certificates and mark sheets under 300 KB for state PSC, recruitment and e-Visa uploads. Exact size target, grayscale option, 20 PDFs per batch.
- Compress PDF to 3 MBCompress a PDF to 3 MB so two copies fit through a 10 MB company mail server. Reports and slide decks keep sharp charts; up to 20 files at once.
- Compress PDF to 400 KBCompress a PDF to 400 KB and choose where the bytes go: color for stamps and photos, or 200 DPI grayscale for small print. Free, no account needed.
- Compress PDF to 450 KBCompress a PDF to 450 KB so it passes a 500 KB upload limit however the portal counts kilobytes, with room for a stamp or e-signature added later.
- Compress PDF to 4 MBBring bank statements, police certificates and reference letters under 4 MB per file for immigration portals such as Canada's IRCC. Color pages stay sharp.
- Compress PDF to 500 KBReduce a PDF to 500 KB for visa, immigration and e-tender uploads. Bank statements and passport pages stay readable; set the target once for 20 files.
- Compress PDF to 50 KBShrink a PDF below 50 KB for scholarship, recruitment and KYC upload fields. Grayscale, downsampling and font subsetting explained; 20 PDFs at once.
- Compress PDF to 5 MBGet a PDF under 5 MB for USAJOBS, immigration evidence and email attachments. Photos stay print-sharp; large scans shrink by downsampling, not guesswork.
- Compress PDF to 800 KBCompress a PDF to under 800 KB: enough for a multi-page color scan, small enough to share a total upload budget across several documents. Up to 20 files.
- Compress PDF to 900 KBCompress a PDF to 900 KB so it clears 1 MB upload fields in Google Forms, school portals and web apps, with about 100 KB to spare. Free, up to 20 files.