When an upload form rejects a PDF for size, you need a smaller file that still opens. Drop it here, choose Light, Balanced, or Maximum, and check the download before you attach it.
Light is the right start for a report or invoice that came out of a word processor. It tightens the file and leaves sentences selectable. Balanced and Maximum redraw each page as a JPEG, which is what helps a photo-heavy scan shrink, and on the smaller-file path they stop at 200 pages. A file larger than about 4 MB uses Ghostscript on the dedicated server when that server is available. Free runs accept up to 12 MB, eight times a day. Pro raises the cap to 100 MB and removes the daily count. The privacy policy says uploads and outputs are deleted after processing, typically within one hour and no later than 24 hours.
Free PDF Compressor
Compress PDF: a smaller file for the form
Drop one PDF, pick Light, Balanced, or Maximum, and download a smaller file you can actually attach. Light keeps the text selectable.
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Written by Safaat Rahman Siham, Founder & Developer at Convertify4u. Contact us.
Choosing a preset that fits the file
Start with the gentlest preset that lands under the limit. Stronger presets buy smaller files by redrawing the pages, so read a page of small type before you send the result.
Light for text you still need to copy
On files around 4 MB or smaller, Light keeps the text layer. Use it for contracts, invoices, and reports where someone may search or highlight a sentence later. If Light is already under the cap, stop there.
Balanced and Maximum for scans
Balanced rasterizes pages as JPEG at a moderate scale and quality. Maximum pushes further. A photo-heavy scan can drop a lot. A text-only PDF may barely move, and small type can soften. The raster path handles up to 200 pages.
Larger files on the dedicated server
When the dedicated server is configured, files over about 4 MB go to Ghostscript. Light maps to a printer-style setting, Balanced to ebook, and Maximum to screen. If the new file is not smaller, you get the original back.
How to compress a PDF
- 1
Add the PDF
One file per run. Free files can be up to 12 MB. Pro files can be up to 100 MB. Unlock a password-protected PDF first if you are allowed to, then compress the readable copy.
- 2
Pick a preset and read a page
Try Light first. Move to Balanced, then Maximum, only if the form’s limit is still smaller than the file. Open a page with small type and confirm you can still read it.
- 3
Download and send that copy
Keep your original. The download is the file you attach. If you only needed a few pages, split those out first so the compressor is working on a shorter document.
Jobs this compressor is for
A portal with a size cap
Applications, vendor forms, and school uploads often reject anything over a few megabytes. Compress the packet, then confirm the new size in your downloads folder.
A scanned packet of photos
Phone scans and photographed pages shrink more under Balanced or Maximum because those presets redraw the images. Proof the small print afterward.
A report you may quote later
Stay on Light when the recipient needs to copy a sentence. The stronger presets are for size, and they redraw the page.
Choosing a preset that fits the file
The file barely moved
An already-optimized PDF has little left to squeeze. Try the next preset. If the result is not smaller, the tool returns the original instead of a worse copy.
Small type looks soft
Maximum is the aggressive preset. Step back to Balanced or Light if a footer, a table, or a signature line went muddy.
Related PDF tools
- Split PDF
Pull out the pages a form actually asked for, then compress that shorter file.
- Merge PDF
Join the compressed pieces back into one packet, in the order you drag.
- PDF to JPG
When the upload box wants images instead of a PDF, export the pages as JPEGs.
- Compress for email under 5 MB
A short guide for the 5 MB case, with the same three presets on this tool.
- Compress and check the file size
Try Light, then Balanced, then Maximum, and keep the download whose size you measured.
- Tax invoice
Build the invoice PDF first, then come back here if the attachment is still too heavy.
File size, accounts, and deletion
One file, clear presets
There is no typed target such as 100 KB. You choose a preset, see the result, and decide. Eight free runs a day, 12 MB each, or 100 MB on Pro.
Uploads follow the privacy policy
The privacy policy says files are deleted after processing, typically within one hour and no later than 24 hours. Keep your own copy of the original and the download.