How to Reduce PDF Size to Under 1 MB (or 200 KB)

Quick answer: upload the file to Compress PDF and download the smaller version. Scanned or photo-heavy PDFs usually shrink by 50-80%. If it is still too big, split it into parts or remove pages you don't need.

Why is my PDF so big?

Almost always because of images. A text-only PDF of 20 pages is often under 200 KB. A scanned 20-page PDF made at 300 DPI can be 20 MB or more, because every page is a full-resolution photo.

PDF type	Typical size	Compresses well?
Text only (exported from Word)	50-300 KB	A little
Slides with photos	2-15 MB	Yes
Scanned documents	5-40 MB	Yes, the most
Phone photos combined into a PDF	10-60 MB	Yes

Compress a PDF in 3 steps

1. Open Compress PDF and choose your file (up to 25 MB).
2. Tap Compress PDF. Most files take under a minute.
3. Download the result. It's named like your-file-compressed.pdf.

Images are re-compressed to about 150 DPI, which looks sharp on screens and prints fine for everyday documents. If a file is already as small as it can be, you simply get it back unchanged.

It's still too big. What now?

Work through these in order:

1. Remove pages you don't need with Split PDF. Type the pages to keep, such as 1-3, 6.
2. Send it in parts. Split into two files and send each one separately.
3. Start from smaller photos. If you are building the PDF from photos, shrink them first with the Image Compressor or Image Resizer, then build the PDF with JPG to PDF.
4. Rescan at 150 DPI if you have the original paper. 300 DPI is rarely needed for documents.

Common size limits

Where	Typical limit
Email attachment (Gmail, Outlook)	20-25 MB
WhatsApp document	100 MB (but slow on mobile data)
Government and job application forms	100 KB - 2 MB
Exam and visa portals	200 KB - 1 MB

Is it safe?

Your file is uploaded over an encrypted connection, compressed, and deleted automatically: the upload right after compression and the result within about 15 minutes.

---

Make your PDF smaller: Compress PDF →