Compress a PDF to under 1 MB
The easiest of the common limits. Big scans and phone photos usually fit with text that's still sharp.
Drop pdf files here, or browse
Up to 1 file, 100 MB each
Need to combine files first? Merge PDF.
What a 1 MB limit leaves room for
Most of our test files were already under 1 MB, and those came back untouched. The two big ones are where this size shows its value:
| Test file | Before | After | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 phone photos of documents | 4.93 MB | 976.6 KB | 150 dpi |
| 10-page scan at 300 dpi | 8.76 MB | 702.0 KB | 72 dpi |
The phone photos kept 150 dpi, enough to print an A4 copy that looks right, and the small print was as crisp as the original. That is the main difference from smaller targets: under 1 MB, a few pages of photos don't need to give up any visible quality.
The 10-page scan is a lot of paper for 1 MB. It needed 72 dpi: everything readable, small print included, though letters look slightly soft when you zoom in. Each extra page of a colour scan costs about 70 KB at that setting, so around 14 pages is the practical ceiling.
If even 1 MB is out of reach
None of our files missed 1 MB, but it can happen with very long scans or large photo albums. The tool will say so and give you the smallest version it could make. Then:
- Break the file into parts with Split PDF, for example every 10 pages.
- Choose a lower level on the main Compress PDFpage if there's no strict limit.
- Scan new pages at 150 dpi; anything above 300 dpi mostly adds size.
How to make a PDF smaller than 1 MB
- Upload your PDF; 1 MB is selected.
- Press Compress PDF and give it a few seconds.
- We aim under 980,000 bytes. The file passes whether a site counts 1 MB as 1,000 KB or 1,024 KB.
- Open the downloaded file to confirm it looks right, then send or upload it.
How it works
Step 1
Drop in a large PDF
Files up to 100 MB are accepted. 1 MB is already selected.
Step 2
Only big images are touched
Images are lowered only as far as needed. In our tests, four phone photos kept 150 dpi, enough for a good A4 print.
Step 3
Download a file that fits
We aim under 1,000,000 bytes with a 2% margin, so it passes whether a site counts 1 MB as 1,000 KB or 1,024 KB.
Your files, your privacy
Every tool on this site processes your files in the browser or deletes them immediately after server-side processing. No human sees your documents. Ever.