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Compress PDF to 1 MB

Files never leave your device

Get a PDF under 1 MB for email, a job portal or a visa form. Drop the file: lossless first, and if pages must become images they stay at up to 150 DPI so they print well.

Make the PDF smaller than
Only used if pages must be turned into images

How to use it

  1. Drop the PDF. The limit is already set to 1 MB; switch it if the form asks for another size.
  2. Turn on Grayscale for black-and-white scans, then press Compress.
  3. Check the byte count (it must say under 1 MB) and download. If it cannot fit, split the PDF or remove pages and try again.

Details

Step 1, lossless
The PDF is rewritten with compressed object streams and unused objects dropped. Text, links and bookmarks stay; often 5–30% smaller
Step 2, if needed
Pages are rendered with pdf.js and stored as JPEG at the highest resolution (150 down to 72 DPI) and quality (85 down to 35) that fits
Target
At or under the limit in bytes (1 KB = 1,000 bytes, so it also passes a 1,024-byte check)
If it cannot fit
You get the smallest readable version and its exact size, with a note, instead of an unreadable file
Engine
pdf-lib and pdf.js, downloaded once and run in this tab. Password-protected PDFs need the password removed first

Questions

How many pages fit in 1 MB?

Typically a dozen or more scanned pages at a resolution that prints well, and far more for text-based PDFs. Phone photos take the most space per page.

Is 1 MB 1,000 KB or 1,024 KB?

Here 1 MB means 1,000,000 bytes, the strictest reading, so the file passes any upload check that says 1 MB.

Are my files uploaded?

No. The page loads its code once, then reads and processes your files inside the browser tab. Nothing is sent to a server; you can confirm it in your browser's network panel while a file is processed.

Will the text still be selectable?

If the lossless step reaches the limit, yes: nothing about the content changes. If pages had to be turned into images to fit, the new file looks the same but its text cannot be selected or searched. The page tells you which one happened.

Why does 72 DPI stop the search?

Below about 72 DPI, normal 10–12 pt body text in a page image becomes hard to read, and a portal that accepts the file may still reject an unreadable document. You get the smallest readable version and a clear message instead.

My PDF is a scan. How small can it go?

A scanned page is already a picture, so the tool re-renders it at a lower resolution. Clean scans on white paper shrink the most; grainy phone photos of paper and colour pages need more bytes. Turn on Grayscale for black-and-white documents, and check the DPI shown in the result.

Does 500 KB mean 500,000 or 512,000 bytes?

The tool aims at or under 500,000 bytes, so the file passes either way of counting. The exact byte count is shown before you download.