Compress a PDF to 500 KB for uploads and email

Target size is set to 500 KB, enough for most documents to keep their scans sharp.

When 500 KB is the limit

500 KB is a common cap for documents on application and admission forms, insurance and bank uploads, and job sites that take a resume as a PDF. It also keeps an email attachment quick to send and to open on a phone.

Compressing a PDF to 500 KB is usually a light touch. The gentlest settings are tried first, so a PDF that is a little too big is trimmed only as much as it needs, and photos and scans keep most of their detail. Text, fonts, links and bookmarks are never changed.

A resume with a photo, a brochure with pictures, or a few scanned pages will usually fit. A long document full of scans may still be too big at the smallest setting; you then get the smallest version, and the size it reached.

How to compress a PDF to 500 KB

1
Select your PDF
Free files can be up to 25 MB; Pro takes up to 100 MB.
2
Target size: 500 KB
Already set. Pick 1 MB for more detail, or 200 KB for a stricter form.
3
Compress and download
Then attach it or upload it as it is.

Keeping the result sharp

Start from the original PDF, not one that was already compressed: every round of compression costs a little detail.
If the PDF is already under 500 KB, it is only tidied up without loss, and its pictures are left as they are.
Check photos at full size before you send the file.

Questions people ask

How do I compress a PDF to 500 KB?

Select the PDF here and press Compress: Target size is already 500 KB. The file size, in KB, is what changes. The pages, their text and the order they are in stay the same.

Will compressing to 500 KB make my PDF blurry?

Usually not much. The first setting tried keeps pictures at 150 DPI, which looks sharp on screen, and the tool only goes lower if 500 KB needs it.

My PDF is already under 500 KB. What happens?

Its structure is tidied up without touching what you see, and the pictures are left alone. If that does not make it smaller, you get your original file back, never a bigger one.

Is 500 KB small enough for email?

For almost any email service, yes. The big ones accept attachments of 20 MB or more, so 500 KB leaves plenty of room for other files in the same email.

Are my files private?

Yes. Each PDF is deleted from our servers 24 hours after you upload it, with the compressed copy, and it is used for nothing else.