Compress PDF to 4 MB
4 MB per file is the rule many immigration applicants meet, most visibly on Canada's IRCC portals, and it is generous enough that compression is gentle. This page is preset to 4 MB, so long scans fit and passport pages keep their color.
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
Upload each document as its own PDF
Add up to 20 PDFs at once, each up to 95 MB: the bank statement, the police certificate, each reference letter.
- 2
Confirm 4 MB
Target size is 4 and the unit is MB. Leave Convert to grayscale off unless a long statement will not fit.
- 3
Compress and upload to the checklist
Press Compress, download the files and upload each one to its slot in the document checklist.
At 4 MB the tool is not fighting for every kilobyte. It removes print-level detail no screen can show, and the documents an officer reads still look like the originals.
Compress PDF to 4 MB for immigration document uploads
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has set a limit of 4 MB per file on its online application portals, and the same number turns up on other visa and residency systems. Each document on the checklist is a separate upload: proof of funds, police certificates from every country you lived in, reference letters from employers, education credentials and their assessments. Most are short, but a year of scanned bank statements or a credential report with transcripts can run to dozens of pages.
That is where 4 MB starts to bite. A scanner set to 300 DPI in color saves roughly 1 MB per page even after JPEG compression, so a 30-page statement lands near 30 MB. Bringing it to 4 MB means images around 150–200 DPI, which is sharp on screen and still prints cleanly. Single pages and letters barely change.
How many scanned pages fit in 4 MB
| Size | Pixels | cm | in | DPI | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A4 | 2480 × 3508 | 21 × 29.7 | 8.27 × 11.69 | 300 | Roughly 10–15 grayscale pages |
| A4 | 1654 × 2339 | 21 × 29.7 | 8.27 × 11.69 | 200 | Roughly 25–35 grayscale pages |
| Letter | 2550 × 3300 | 21.6 × 27.9 | 8.5 × 11 | 300 | About 4–6 pages in color |
| Letter | 1275 × 1650 | 21.6 × 27.9 | 8.5 × 11 | 150 | 40 or more grayscale pages |
What a 4 MB target changes, and what it leaves
Stays the same
- Page size and order
- Typed text and its search layer
- Seals, stamps and signatures
- Links and bookmarks
Gets smaller
- Scanned page images, re-encoded as JPEG
- Resolution above what the target allows
- Unused characters in embedded fonts
- Author and software metadata
Check before uploading
- Account numbers on statements
- Dates on police certificates
- Small print on transcripts
- The file name the checklist asks for
Order matters when one slot takes one file. Combine related pages first, for example every month of a statement, with merge PDF, then compress the result so the 4 MB budget covers the whole document. If a portal allows a little more, compress PDF to 5 MB keeps slightly more detail; for a stricter field, step down the ladder below.
4 MB PDF questions
What is the file size limit for documents on IRCC's online application?
IRCC has listed 4 MB per uploaded file for its online application portals, with PDF among the accepted formats. Check the instructions for your specific application, since forms and limits change, and compress each file to just under the stated number.
How do I fit 12 months of scanned bank statements under 4 MB?
Download the statements as PDFs from online banking when you can; they are text and tiny. If they must be scanned, combine them into one file, turn on Convert to grayscale and compress to 4 MB, which typically keeps them readable at around 150 DPI.
Will compressing my police certificate make it look altered?
No. Compression lowers image detail and removes metadata; it does not change what is printed on the page, and seals and signatures remain in place. If the certificate came as a digitally signed PDF, upload the original instead, because any rewrite breaks the signature.
Should a passport page be compressed to 4 MB?
A single passport page is usually far below 4 MB already. Compressing it to the full 4 MB adds nothing; a smaller target like 1 MB keeps it sharp and leaves the machine-readable lines clear.
What can I do if one document still exceeds 4 MB?
Split it where the checklist allows more than one file, or compress in grayscale with a lower Lowest image quality. A 100-page color scan is the usual culprit; split PDF cuts it into parts by page range.
Is 4 MB the same as 4,000 KB?
Close but not identical: 4 MB can be read as 4,000,000 or 4,194,304 bytes. If a portal rejects a 4 MB file, switch the unit to KB and type 3900; that result is under four million bytes on any count.
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