How to make a PDF small enough to email or upload
Updated · 3 min read
Email providers cap attachments, and job portals, visa applications and university forms often accept only 1 or 2 MB — sometimes less. This guide shows how to get a PDF under a specific limit, and what to do when it simply won't fit.
Know the limit you're aiming for
Common limits are around 20–25 MB for personal email services (Gmail allows 25 MB, Outlook.com 20 MB) and often lower for company mail servers. Upload forms are usually stricter: 5 MB, 2 MB, 1 MB, and sometimes 500 KB or even 100 KB for supporting documents. The exact number is normally printed next to the upload button.
Tip: Email attachments grow by roughly a third in transit because of how they're encoded, so a 20 MB file can bounce off a 25 MB limit. Aim comfortably below the number you were given.
Step by step: compress to a target size
- Open Compress PDF and add your file.
- Type the limit in Target size — for example 1024 for 1 MB, or 500 for 500 KB. Leave it at 0 to just pick a level instead.
- Click Compress. Stronger settings are tried one after another, and the first result that fits is kept.
- Open the result and check that small print is still readable before you send it.
If the file can't reach the target without the text becoming unreadable, you get the smallest version that is still readable, together with a note saying the target wasn't met — rather than a file that's technically small but useless to the person receiving it.
For the most common limits there are ready-made pages that start with the target already set: under 2 MB, under 1 MB, under 500 KB, under 200 KB and under 100 KB.
What size can you realistically reach?
It depends on what's inside the PDF (see why PDFs get large). As a rough guide:
| Type of PDF | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Exported from Word, Google Docs or similar | Usually small already; compression may save little |
| Phone or scanner scans | Large savings are common, often well over half the size |
| Brochures and reports full of photos | Big savings at Recommended or Strong; photos get softer |
| Dozens of scanned pages into 100–200 KB | Often not possible while staying readable — split or remove pages |
When it still won't fit
Remove what isn't needed
Upload forms rarely need the full document. Cover pages, terms and conditions, blank backs and duplicate pages can go. Remove PDF Pages deletes them, and every page removed is weight you don't have to compress away.
Split it into parts
If you're emailing, two attachments under the limit work as well as one. Split PDF cuts a file into page ranges or every few pages — compress each part afterwards if needed.
Re-make it from the source
If you scanned the document yourself, scanning again in grayscale at a moderate resolution produces a far smaller file than any compression afterwards. If you built it from photos, shrink the photos first with Compress Image and then turn them into a PDF with JPG to PDF.
Send a link instead
For very large files — a full manual, a portfolio of photos — a link from a cloud storage service you already use is often the better choice for email. Most upload forms don't accept links, though, so for forms, compressing or removing pages is the way.
Keep the quality where it matters
- Start with Recommended and only go to Strong if you must.
- Zoom in on the smallest text and any signatures after compressing.
- For ID documents and certificates, check the details are still legible — a rejected application costs more time than a slightly bigger file.
- Keep the original. Compression creates a new file and never changes the one on your device.
Questions
How do I make a PDF under 1 MB?
Open Compress PDF to 1 MB, add the file and click Compress. If it can't get below 1 MB while staying readable, remove pages you don't need or split it.
Can I compress several PDFs at once?
Yes. Compress PDF takes up to 20 PDFs in one go and compresses each one separately.
Is my document uploaded when I compress it here?
No. Compress PDF runs in your browser, so the file stays on your device. See are online PDF tools safe? for how to check this on any site.