badloHow to Reduce a PDF's File Size
Updated
A form says your PDF must be under a certain size, and yours is far over it. Most of the time, the fix takes a few minutes once you know what's making the file large.
Why is your PDF so large?
| Cause | How much it can shrink |
|---|---|
| Scanned pages or phone photos | Often a lot, as every page is a picture |
| Photos in a report or brochure | Often a lot |
| Mostly text | Little. It's probably small already |
| Many pages | Depends. Removing pages may help more |
Step 1: compress it
Upload the file to Compress PDF and choose Balanced. The page shows the old and new sizes straight away. If it's still too large, go back to your original and choose Smallest file.
Step 2: remove what you don't need
Every page adds to the size. Blank pages, old attachments and extra copies can go with Remove PDF Pages. If you only need part of the document, use Extract PDF Pages instead.
Getting down to a small limit such as 200 KB
A very small limit is hard to reach with several scanned pages. There's no setting that hits an exact size, so try these in order:
- Use Smallest file, and check whether the result is enough.
- Rebuild plain typed pages with the Black and white style in Scan to PDF, which can make them smaller, and then compress the result.
- Send fewer pages, if the form allows it.
- Split a long document with Split PDF, if you can upload more than one file.
Check before you send
Open the small file and zoom in on names, dates and numbers. A form is no use if nobody can read it. If small print has become unclear, use a gentler level and find the size elsewhere, such as by removing pages.