Compress a long PDF to 1 MB

Target size is set to 1 MB, the usual limit for longer documents and reports.

Getting a large PDF under 1 MB

A 1 MB limit is common for longer uploads: a project report, a thesis chapter, a set of scanned forms, or a document full of photos. Files like these often start at 10 MB or more, mostly because of the pictures in them.

To compress a PDF to 1 MB, the tool rewrites the file's structure first, then makes the pictures smaller in steps until the whole file fits, stopping at the first step under 1 MB. With this much room, many documents fit at the first step, 150 DPI, which is still sharp on screen.

Every page is kept, with its text, fonts, links and bookmarks, however long the document is. On the free plan a file can be up to 25 MB; Pro takes up to 100 MB.

How to compress a PDF to 1 MB

1
Select the PDF
Up to 25 MB free, or 100 MB on Pro.
2
Leave Target size at 1 MB
Or type the exact limit you were given, in KB.
3
Compress and download
The final size is shown before you save, with a plain note if 1 MB was out of reach.

If a long PDF will not fit in 1 MB

Save only the pages you need as their own PDF, then compress that.
If you still have the Word or PowerPoint file it came from, saving it as a PDF again often gives a much smaller file to start from.
Very long scans can take a minute or two. Keep the page open until it finishes.

Questions people ask

How do I compress a PDF to 1 MB?

Select the PDF here and press Compress; Target size is already 1 MB. The tool lowers the picture settings one step at a time until the file is 1 MB or under. The file size changes; the pages and their text do not.

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

Here 1 MB is 1,000 KB, and 1 KB is 1,000 bytes. A site that counts 1,024 KB per MB allows a little more, so a file under 1 MB here passes there as well.

How long does a big PDF take?

Seconds for most files. A long scan can take a minute or two, because each step is a full pass over every page. Keep the page open until it finishes.

Why does a scanned PDF shrink more than a typed one?

A scanned page is one big picture, and pictures are what the tool makes smaller. A typed page is text and fonts, which are already compact and are kept exactly as they are.

What if 1 MB is still too big for the site?

Pick a smaller target, such as 500 KB or 200 KB, or type your own. The smaller the target, the more the pictures are reduced, down to 72 DPI at most.