How to reduce a PDF below 1 MB

Open Compress PDF, add your file and compare the sizes shown for each level before you choose. Pick the Recommended level first. If the result is still above 1 MB, repeat with Strong on the original file. Your original is never changed, so you can try every level safely.

A text-only PDF is usually under 1 MB already. If yours is larger, the weight is almost always in images: scans, phone photos or screenshots. That is where compression saves the most.

1. 1

   Check the size you need

   Portals often say "1 MB" or "1,000 KB". Aim a little under, for example 900 KB, so a rounding difference does not reject the file.

2. 2

   Compress at Recommended

   On Compress PDF, choose your file and pick Recommended. You see the size before and after.

3. 3

   Still too big? Use Strong

   Go back to the original and choose Strong. Photos get softer but scanned text stays readable.

4. 4

   Check the result

   Download the file, open it and zoom in on small print, signatures and stamps. If they are still readable, you are done.

Work through these in order. Each one removes a different kind of weight.

• Turn color scans into grayscale. Grayscale PDF removes color data, which often halves a scan that is only text and a stamp.
• Resize oversized pages. Pages scanned at A3 or a custom large size carry far more pixels than needed. Resize PDF to A4 or Letter, then compress again.
• Delete pages you do not need. Blank backs, cover sheets and duplicate pages add up. Delete pages first, then compress.
• Re-scan or re-save images at a lower resolution. 150 to 200 DPI is enough for reading and for most forms. Scans at 600 DPI are far sharper than a screen shows.
• Split the file. If the portal accepts several files, split the PDF into parts, each under the limit.

Compression recompresses images and removes duplicate data, so text and vector graphics stay sharp. What you trade away is image detail. Use Light or Recommended for documents you will print, and Strong only when a limit forces it.

Before sending, zoom to 200 percent on the smallest text, a signature and any photo that matters. If one of them looks too soft, go one level up and combine it with the grayscale or resize steps above instead of compressing harder.

Your file is processed in your browser and is never uploaded, which matters for ID copies, contracts and medical papers.