How to Compress a PDF to Under 100KB (or for Email)
Shrink a big PDF so it fits an upload limit or email attachment — free and private.
Quick answer
To compress a PDF, open Compress PDF, upload your file, and pick a level — Recommended for balance or Strong for the smallest size. Download the smaller file. It's free, needs no sign-up, and your file is never uploaded.
How to compress a PDF
- 1Open Compress PDF and upload your PDF.
- 2Choose a compression level. Strong gives the smallest file.
- 3Click compress and check the new size shown on screen.
- 4Download your smaller PDF.
How to hit a size target like 100KB or 5MB
The biggest savings come from PDFs full of photos or scans. Try Strong compression first. If your PDF is mostly text, it may already be small, and compression will save less.
- Still too big? Split it with Split PDF and send fewer pages.
- Scanned document? A lower-quality scan compresses further.
- Just need the images? Try PDF to JPG and send those instead.
Email services like Gmail allow attachments up to 25MB, but many forms and portals cap uploads at 2MB or even 100KB. Compressing fixes most of these.
Frequently asked questions
How do I compress a PDF to under 100KB?＋
Open Compress PDF, upload your file, and choose the **Strong** level. Text-and-photo PDFs shrink the most. If it's still too big, split it into smaller files first.
Will compressing hurt the quality?＋
A little. Higher compression makes images softer. Use the **Recommended** level for a good balance, or **Strong** when you need the smallest file.