Reduce PDF file size in your browser — private, free, and instant. Set a quality level or compress to an exact size limit like 200 KB.
Drop PDF Files Here
Compress PDFs entirely in your browser. Files never leave your device.
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Mode:
78%
Balanced - clear readable text with solid compression
Max size (KB):
KB
Compresses to the highest quality that stays within your limit.
--Original
--Compressed
--Saved
--Done
How to compress a PDF online
No account, no software, no upload queue. Everything runs in your browser.
Step 01
Upload your PDF
Drop one or more PDF files onto the tool, click Select, or paste directly from your clipboard.
Step 02
Choose quality or target size
Pick a preset like Balanced or High, drag the quality slider, or switch to Target Size mode and type a KB limit.
Step 03
Compress
Hit Compress. The tool processes every page locally — your files never leave the device.
Step 04
Preview and download
Use the side-by-side preview to compare quality. Rename the output, then download individually or as a ZIP.
What makes this compressor different
Most online tools upload your file to a remote server. This one does not.
100% private, zero uploads
Compression runs entirely inside your browser using JavaScript. No file ever touches an external server.
Before / after preview
A side-by-side viewer lets you zoom into both the original and compressed versions before committing to a download.
Target file size mode
Type a KB limit and the tool automatically finds the highest quality that keeps the compressed file within that size.
Re-compress without re-uploading
Change the quality on any card and re-compress instantly. The original file stays in memory so you can iterate freely.
Batch compression and ZIP download
Drop multiple PDFs at once. Compress them all in one click and download a single ZIP with custom filenames.
Works on any modern browser
No plugins, no app install. Works on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge on desktop and mobile.
Which quality setting should you use?
The right setting depends on how the file will be used and who will read it.
| Preset | Best for | Typical size reduction | Text clarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | Quick sharing on chat, internal previews, reference copies | 80 – 95% | Low |
| Web | Email attachments, website downloads, online forms | 65 – 85% | Moderate |
| Balanced | General purpose — readable text, photos, mixed content | 45 – 70% | Good |
| High | Contracts, reports, documents that will be printed or signed | 20 – 45% | Sharp |
| Maximum | Archiving, proofing, when quality matters more than file size | 5 – 20% | Near original |
| Target Size | Upload portals with a strict size limit (e.g. under 1 MB) | Automatic | Best possible |
Note on text sharpness: This tool converts each PDF page into a JPEG image before re-packaging it, which is how file size is reduced. Text-heavy documents (invoices, contracts, forms) look best at Balanced or above. Photo-heavy documents tolerate lower settings well. Always use the Preview button to check the result before downloading.
Common reasons to compress a PDF
File size limits show up in more places than you'd expect.
Email
Email attachment limits
Most email providers cap attachments at 10–25 MB. Compressing to under 10 MB means no links, no cloud drives — just a direct attachment.
Forms & Portals
Government and application portals
Job applications, visa submissions, and government forms often enforce strict per-file limits (commonly less than 1 MB). Target Size mode is built exactly for this.
Storage
Reducing cloud storage usage
Scanned documents and exported reports bloat quickly. Compressing an archive of 200 PDFs at High quality can free gigabytes without losing readability.
Web
Faster website downloads
PDFs linked from a website load faster and cost less bandwidth when compressed. A 15 MB catalogue compressed to 2 MB loads in a fraction of the time on mobile.
Compress PDF to a specific file size
Many official portals, job applications, and registration forms have strict PDF size limits. Here are the most common ones and how to hit them.
100 KB
Under 100 KB
Strictest limit. Common on older government e-portals and railway / exam registration forms in India.
200 KB
Under 200 KB
The single most common limit for scanned documents in competitive exam and admission portals.
300 KB
Under 300 KB
Frequent on recruitment portals, scholarship forms, and college application systems.
500 KB
Under 500 KB
Standard for most HR portals, bank job applications, and state government form submissions.
1 MB
Under 1 MB
Commonly required for visa support documents, passport applications, and embassy portals.
2 MB
Under 2 MB
Used on most modern job application portals, LinkedIn Easy Apply, and corporate HR systems.
How to use Target Size mode for exact limits: Switch to Target Size in the quality bar above, type your required limit (e.g. 200), and press Compress. The tool runs an automatic search across quality levels and delivers the best-looking file that stays within your limit — no manual trial and error needed.
Common portals and their PDF size limits
A reference of frequently encountered size limits across popular form submission portals. Limits may change — always verify on the official portal before submitting.
| Portal / Purpose | Typical Size Limit | Document Type |
|---|---|---|
| UPSC, SSC, Railway (RRB) exams | 100 – 300 KB | Certificates, photo ID, mark sheets |
| University & college admissions (DU, JoSAA, etc.) | 200 – 500 KB | Scanned documents per upload field |
| Passport application (Passport Seva) | 1 MB | Address proof, supporting documents |
| Visa applications (embassies, VFS, BLS) | 1 – 2 MB | Bank statements, invitation letters |
| Bank job applications (IBPS, SBI PO) | 300 – 500 KB | Educational certificates, ID proof |
| Scholarship portals (NSP, state schemes) | 200 – 500 KB | Income certificate, mark sheets |
| Corporate job portals (Naukri, Shine, etc.) | 2 – 5 MB | Resume, portfolio PDF |
| GST / Income Tax e-filing portals | 500 KB – 2 MB | Supporting evidence, audit reports |
Why do portals have such small limits?
Most government and institutional portals were built on older infrastructure with limited server storage and slower database queries. A 200 KB cap per document across millions of applicants is a practical engineering constraint, not an arbitrary rule. Scanned documents saved directly from a scanner or phone camera often come out at 2–10 MB per page, which is 10–50 times over the limit. Compression brings them within range without making the text illegible.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to the most common questions about PDF compression.
Yes, completely. There are no file limits, no account required, no watermarks, and no paid tier. The tool runs in your browser using open-source libraries.
Nothing is uploaded. All compression happens locally inside your browser tab using JavaScript. Your files never leave your device, and closing the tab immediately clears everything from memory.
Every compression involves some trade-off. At the High and Maximum presets the difference is very difficult to spot on screen and in most prints. Use the Preview button to compare the original and compressed versions side by side before downloading — if the quality is not acceptable, bump the slider up and re-compress with one click.
This happens when the original PDF is already optimised — for example, a digitally created document with very small embedded images or minimal graphics. The card will show "Already minimal" in that case. Lower quality presets may still reduce it further, though the difference will be small.
Yes. Drop or select as many files as you need. A single "Compress All" run processes them sequentially and the summary bar shows combined savings. Once done, download each file individually or grab them all as a ZIP.
Switch to Target Size, type your limit in KB, and press Compress. The tool runs a binary search across quality levels — it tests several settings and narrows in on the highest quality that produces a file within your limit. The process typically takes fewer than 10 attempts per file.
Yes, the tool is fully responsive and works on modern mobile browsers. For very large PDFs (over 50 MB) a desktop browser is recommended since mobile devices have tighter memory limits.
No. Password-protected PDFs cannot be processed because the content is encrypted. You will need to remove the password protection first using a PDF editor or the original application that created the file, then compress.
Switch to Target Size mode using the toggle in the quality bar above, type 200 in the limit field, and press Compress. The tool automatically finds the highest quality setting that produces a file under 200 KB. If the original PDF is very long or contains high-resolution scans, the compressed result will still be as sharp as possible within that limit. If 200 KB is not achievable (very rare for short documents), the tool will tell you the smallest size it could reach.
Yes, for single-page documents like a certificate or mark sheet, under 100 KB is achievable in most cases. Set the Target Size to 100 and compress. The text may appear slightly soft at this size — use the Preview to verify it is still legible. If the document has many pages, try splitting it into individual pages first and compressing each separately. For multi-page documents, 100 KB is extremely tight and may result in poor clarity.
Scanners and phone scanning apps typically save images at 300–600 DPI at full colour depth, which produces very high quality but extremely large files. A single A4 page scanned at 300 DPI can easily be 2–5 MB. This tool compresses those images significantly. For scanned documents you plan to submit to a portal, the Balanced or Web preset is usually enough to bring a 5 MB single-page scan under 300 KB while keeping text clearly readable.