How to Compress a PDF to Under 1 MB (or 2 MB)

Government portals, job sites and some email systems cap uploads at 1 or 2 MB. A scanned document can be 10 MB or more, so you need a method rather than guesswork.

Work in this order

• Remove pages you do not need with Delete PDF pages. Fewer pages means a smaller file.
• Run Compress PDF with strong compression at 150 dpi and check the size.
• If it is still too big, try 110 dpi, then 80 dpi.

How far can it go?

Scans and photo-heavy files can shrink a lot, often to a fraction of their size. Text-only PDFs are already small and may not shrink at all. If the tool returns your original, it could not make the file smaller.

What you give up

Strong compression turns pages into images. The text then cannot be selected or searched, and tiny print gets softer. Always open the result and read a page at full size before uploading.

If it still will not fit

• Split the file with Split PDF and upload in parts, if the form allows several files.
• Re-scan at lower resolution. 150 dpi is plenty for reading, and black-and-white is smaller than colour.

Privacy

Compression runs in your browser, which is helpful when the file is an ID, a lease or a tax form.