Compress a PDF to an exact size
This shrinks a PDF that a portal turned away as too large. Its pages are redrawn as images until the file fits the limit you set, such as 200 KB.
20 to 20000 KB.
How to use it
- Enter the size limit from the portal (20 to 20000 KB), or pick a preset.
- Choose or drop your PDF.
- Wait while it compresses. PDFs with many pages take longer.
- Download the result. The file name ends with the limit, like report-200kb.pdf.
What happens to your pages
Each page is redrawn as a JPG image, at the highest quality that keeps the whole PDF under your limit. If that is not enough, the resolution drops step by step, from about 108 dpi down to about 22 dpi. Page sizes stay the same. A 3-page test PDF (2,608 KB, pages of text saved as images) came out at 197.9 KB with the 200 KB limit, at 108 dpi and quality 23%.
Common problems
If you see “Could not get this PDF under …”, even the lowest setting was too big. Try a higher limit, or upload fewer pages if the portal allows it.
If the file could not be opened, it may be damaged or protected with a password. Save a copy without the password in your PDF reader, then try again.
If small print is hard to read, the limit is tight for the number of pages. Raise the limit a little, and check the result before you submit it.
Questions
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. When the page opens it loads two open-source libraries from cdnjs: pdf.js draws your pages and jsPDF writes the new file. Both run on your device, and the document is never sent to them or to us.
Can I still select the text?
No. Pages become images, which is what makes very small sizes possible. Links and bookmarks also stop working. Keep your original if you need selectable text. To combine several PDFs into one, use merge PDFs under a KB limit; it keeps the text selectable when the merged file fits. If the portal only accepts JPG, use PDF to JPG under a KB limit instead.
My PDF is already under the limit. Do I need this?
Usually not. The tool tells you when it already fits, so you can upload it as is.
I have photos or scans, not a PDF. What should I use?
Use images to PDF under a KB limit to combine them into one PDF. To shrink a single photo, use compress an image to an exact size.