Compress PDF to 200 KB, with every page kept
Target size is set to 200 KB. The gentlest setting that fits is used, so the pages stay as clear as they can.
A PDF under 200 KB, without losing pages
200 KB comes up again and again as the upload limit for a PDF on job, exam, admission and government service forms. It is enough room for a short scanned document, as long as the scans in it are not much sharper than they need to be.
To compress a PDF to 200 KB, the tool first rewrites the file's structure without changing anything you can see. If that is not enough, it makes the pictures smaller in steps: 150 DPI, then 110, then 90, then 72 at most, lowering the JPEG quality with them. It stops at the first step that comes in under 200 KB, so a PDF that only needs a little trimming keeps nearly all of its detail.
Text typed into the PDF, its fonts, links and bookmarks are left as they are at every step. That is why a PDF that is mostly text often fits easily, while a long scan, which is nothing but pictures, is the hard case.
How to compress a PDF to 200 KB
- 1Select the PDF
Drop it on the page or pick it. The free plan takes one file of up to 25 MB.
- 2Check the target
Target size shows 200 KB. You can pick 100 KB or 300 KB, or type your own.
- 3Compress, then download
You see the new size, and whether it made 200 KB, before you save.
What fits in 200 KB
- A PDF that is mostly typed text: usually, with room to spare.
- A page or two of scans or phone photos: usually, at a clear resolution.
- A long scan: it depends on how many pages there are and how busy they are. If it will not fit, you get the smallest version and the size it reached.
Questions people ask
How do I compress a PDF to 200 KB?
Select the PDF here and press Compress. Target size is already 200 KB, so the tool keeps trying smaller picture settings until the file is 200 KB or a little under. It is the file size, in KB, that changes; the pages and their text stay the same.
Will the PDF be exactly 200 KB?
No. It will be 200 KB or under, sometimes well under, because the tool stops at the first setting that fits instead of squeezing out every last byte.
Why is my PDF still over 200 KB?
Some PDFs cannot get that small without dropping pages or making scans unreadable, and the tool will do neither. You get the smallest version it could make, with the size it reached. Leaving out pages you do not need is the surest fix.
Does it work on a scanned PDF?
Yes, scans are where it saves the most: each page is a picture, and pictures are what it makes smaller. A PDF of typed text has fewer pictures to shrink, so it saves less, but text takes little room to begin with.
Can I compress several PDFs to 200 KB at once?
On Pro and Business, yes: up to 100 PDFs at once, each aimed at 200 KB. The free plan compresses one PDF at a time, 3 a day.
What happens to my PDF after compressing?
It is deleted from our servers 24 hours after you upload it, with the compressed copy. Download the result before then.
Related tools
PDFPDFCompress PDF
Shrink a PDF’s file size without dropping pages, text or fonts.
PDFPDFCompress PDF to 100 KB
Get a PDF under 100 KB, with every page and its text kept.
PDFPDFCompress PDF to 300 KB
Get a PDF under 300 KB, with every page and its text kept.
JPEGPDFJPG to PDF
Wrap photos into a PDF page, the usual way to send a photographed document.
JPEGJPEGCompress image to 200 KB
Get a picture under 200 KB for a form or an upload with a size limit, and see the result before you save. Runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.