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Document Compressor
PDF Compressor

Updated Mar 2026

PDF Compressor

Use our free online PDF compressor to reduce PDF file size for job applications, government forms, email attachments, online portals, and faster downloads. Compress PDFs generally or target exact sizes depending on your upload requirement.

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Max file size 10MB. Sign up for more.

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How to Compress PDF Files Online

PDF compression works differently from image compression. Most of the file size comes from embedded images, fonts, and metadata — our tool optimizes all three.

Upload PDF Documents

Select your PDF files — scanned documents, reports, presentations, or ebooks. Encrypted and password-protected PDFs are not supported.

Select Compression Level

Choose screen quality for email sharing (smallest), ebook quality for balanced results, or printer quality to preserve maximum detail. Each level adjusts embedded image DPI and font handling.

Download Compressed PDFs

Download your optimized PDF with text, links, bookmarks, and form fields fully preserved. The document remains searchable and printable at your chosen quality level.

Why Choose Our PDF Compressor

Image Downsampling

Embedded images often account for 90%+ of PDF size. Downsampling high-res photos from 300 DPI to 150 DPI halves pixel count while staying sharp on screen.

Font Subsetting

A full font file can be 500 KB+. Subsetting keeps only the glyphs actually used in the document, often reducing font data to under 30 KB without affecting rendering.

Metadata Removal

PDFs carry hidden data: edit history, thumbnail previews, XML metadata, and duplicate objects. Stripping these can recover 5-15% of file size with no visible change.

Web-Optimized Output

Linearized PDFs rearrange internal objects so the first page loads instantly in a browser, without waiting for the entire file to download.

Email-Ready Compression

Most email providers cap attachments at 25 MB. Use screen-quality compression to get documents under the limit while keeping text perfectly readable.

Scanned Document Support

Scanned PDFs are essentially large images. Compression can reduce a 20 MB scan to under 2 MB by downsampling to 150 DPI and applying JPEG compression to embedded images.

The compression physics

How PDF compression works at this target

PDFs are containers — the file size comes from three sources: embedded images (usually 70-95% of total), embedded fonts (5-10%), and vector page content (rest). Compressing to a smaller target attacks the images first: recompressing each embedded image with JPEG at lower quality, then downsampling from 300 DPI (print quality) to 150 DPI (screen quality) or 96 DPI (mobile quality). A scanned 100-page PDF at 20 MB can hit 2 MB via this route without touching page count or layout. Text-only PDFs are already near their floor and rarely compress by more than 15-20%.

Real portals mapped to size targets

Which target size to pick for PDF

Different portals cap PDF uploads at different sizes. Pick the target that matches where you’re uploading rather than shrinking blindly — over-compressing wastes visible quality, under-compressing gets rejected.

50KB

Digital signature scan (RRB / Railway)

RRB (Railway Recruitment Board) applications and most Indian railway job forms accept a scanned signature PDF up to 50 KB.

100KB

Marksheet & mark-list uploads for govt jobs

Single-page marksheet / provisional certificate uploads for SSC, IBPS, UPSC and state PSC applications cap at 100 KB.

150KB

Category / caste certificate uploads

OBC / SC / ST / EWS category certificate uploads for most competitive exams (JEE Main, NEET, GATE, SSC) accept PDFs up to 150 KB.

200KB

PAN card & Aadhaar PDF uploads

PAN card and e-Aadhaar PDF uploads for bank account opening, demat KYC, and mutual-fund CAMS onboarding accept files up to 200 KB.

500KB

ITR supporting documents & bank statements

Income Tax Return supporting document uploads (Form 16, salary slips, rent receipts) and 3-month bank statement PDFs for loan applications typically cap at 500 KB per file.

1MB

Loan applications & MCA form uploads

Personal loan and home loan applications on HDFC, ICICI, and Bajaj portals cap individual supporting-document PDFs at 1 MB.

2MB

GST registration & RTI application bundles

GST registration (REG-01) authorised-signatory document bundles and RTI online application attachments accept PDFs up to 2 MB.

PDF Compressor FAQ

Quick answers about compression targets, upload limits, format behavior, and the best cases for compressing PDF files.

What is a PDF compressor?

A PDF compressor reduces PDF file size so the document is easier to upload, email, store, or share.

Why do people compress PDFs online?

People usually compress PDFs to meet size limits for forms, job applications, email attachments, student portals, and cloud uploads.

Will compressing a PDF reduce readability?

It can if the target size is very small, especially for scanned or image-heavy files. Moderate compression usually keeps text readable.

Can I compress PDF to exact sizes like 100KB, 200KB, or 1MB?

Yes. Exact-size PDF compression is one of the biggest search intents because many submission systems require a file under a strict limit.

What types of PDFs compress best?

Scanned PDFs and image-heavy reports often compress the most because much of their size comes from embedded images.

Can I batch compress PDF files online?

Yes. Batch compression is useful when several files all need to be prepared for submission or storage.

Is online PDF compression safe to use?

Yes. The compressor uses temporary browser-based processing with automatic cleanup after compression.

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