How to Reduce PDF File Size

Add your file and choose a compression level. The balanced setting is the practical first attempt: it targets a useful compromise between file size and image quality and clears most upload limits on its own.

After processing, do not look only at the new file size. Zoom into small type, signatures, stamps, table rules and any QR codes, because those are the first things compression degrades. If the file is still over the limit, go back to the original and produce a second copy with stronger compression.

Light compression is right for print work, technical drawings and long-term archives, where detail matters more than size. Medium suits documents that will only be read on screen and rarely leaves a visible difference.

Strong compression exists for portals that enforce a hard limit. At that level, scans can soften and photographs can show blocking, so always review the output before submitting it. When you need to land under a specific target such as 1 MB, stepping through the levels gives a better result than jumping straight to the most aggressive setting.

Size comes from what is on the pages, not how many there are. Scans above 300 DPI, full-page photographs, unnecessary colour depth and embedded fonts add weight quickly, while a text-only document can stay small across hundreds of pages.

That is why the biggest wins usually happen before compression. Scanning in grayscale or black and white at 200 to 300 DPI produces a cleaner small file than any amount of compression applied afterwards. Repeatedly compressing an already compressed file barely reduces size but degrades quality on every pass.

If the document contains pages nobody needs, deleting them can save more than compression does. Likewise, when you only have to send a few pages, extracting them produces a smaller file and shares less information than shrinking the whole document.

If the recipient only needs to look at the pages, exporting them as lower-resolution images is another route, though it costs you the text layer and the ability to search. Decide based on what the file will actually be used for at the other end.