How to reduce PDF size for email and online forms

Most email providers and application portals cap attachments at a few megabytes. If your PDF is over the limit, compression is usually the quickest fix. The trick is picking the right level so the file is small enough without becoming hard to read.

Steps

Open Compress PDF. Upload the PDF you want to shrink.
Start with Recommended. This balances size and quality and is enough for most documents.
Check the size. If it is still too large, run the original again with Extreme compression.
Download and verify. Open the result and make sure text and images are still readable.

Open the tool: Compress PDF

Good to know

Savings come mostly from images. A PDF that is mostly text will not shrink much.
There is no fixed target size such as exactly 100 KB; Extreme gives the smallest result for your file.
Always keep the original, because image compression cannot be undone.

Frequently asked questions

What are the compression levels?

Extreme (smallest, lower image quality), Recommended (balanced) and Less compression (highest quality).

Why did my PDF barely shrink?

It is probably text-heavy or already optimized. Files with large photos or scans shrink the most.

Is my file safe?

Files are processed in an isolated job and deleted automatically after your download window ends.

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