How to use
Choose a target (500 KB / 1 MB / 2 MB / 3 MB / 5 MB / 10 MB, or type a value).
Drop PDFs or click “Choose files” (multiple allowed). Processing starts right away.
In the list, check the result size (with exact bytes) and whether it is under the target.
If the target could not be reached, the smallest size reached and the reason are shown. Raise the target or try grayscale, then click “Redo with these settings”.
Download the PDF (or all files as a ZIP).
What it does
Highest quality that fits “under”
Image quality (35–90) is bisected to find the best setting that fits. Only if quality alone is not enough are images downscaled in steps (long edge 3000 → 2400 → 2000 → 1600 → 1400 → 1000 → 800 → 600 px). At most 20 recompression runs per file.
1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes
The smaller (decimal) count is the target, so the file fits whether a site counts 1,000,000 or 1,048,576 bytes per MB. Exact byte counts are shown in the result.
Honest when it cannot get there
PDFs made of text and vector graphics do not shrink when images are compressed. In that case the tool does not claim success: it shows the smallest size reached and why.
Never larger than the original
A file already under the target is returned as it is, and so is the original when recompression would not make it smaller.
No upload
Everything runs in your browser (Web Worker). Contracts and personal documents are never sent to a server.
Use cases
- Fit an application or tender portal limit such as “PDF under 1 MB” or “under 5 MB”
- Make a scanned document fit an email or chat attachment limit
- Bring a phone-scanned PDF under the limit of the site you submit to
- Bring several PDFs under the same limit in one go
Supported formats
Input
Output
Capability matrix
| Feature | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lower quality and resolution of photos/scans to get under a target | Supported | JPEG and Flate (8-bit RGB/gray) images |
| Target size (6 presets or a typed value) | Supported | 1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes |
| Smallest size reached and the reason when the target is missed | Supported | — |
| Batch processing and ZIP download | Supported | — |
| Convert photos to grayscale (smaller) | Supported | Optional |
| Shrink text, vector graphics and fonts | Not supported | They are left as they are, so PDFs made mostly of them may not reach the target |
| Land exactly on the target size | Not supported | It only finds the highest-quality setting at or under the target |
| Compress CMYK, special colour space or low-colour images | Not supported | Left unchanged to avoid damaging them |
| Password-protected (encrypted) PDFs | Not supported | Remove the protection first |
| Slim down by merging files or removing pages | Not supported | Use the merge or extract-pages tools |
Limits & notes
- Up to 300 MB per file; files are processed one at a time.
- The target can be set between 1 KB and 100 MB.
- Images are downscaled to a long edge of 600 px at the least. If the target is still not met, the smallest size reached is shown.
- Shrinking images can make small print in scans hard to read. Always check the result before submitting.
- Conformance to standards such as PDF/A may not be preserved.
Privacy & safety
Reading, compressing and saving all happen inside your browser. Your PDF is never sent to or stored on a server. Only the compression engine (WebAssembly) is downloaded the first time.
FAQ
How do I get a PDF under 1 MB?
Is 1 MB 1,000,000 or 1,048,576 bytes?
Can the result be much smaller than the target?
Why does my text-only PDF not get smaller?
Is my PDF uploaded?
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